Jacquelyn Darlene Macknight
Jacquelyn Darlene Macknight is running for Council in Elliot Lake.
Jacquelyn Darlene Macknight (she/her) is a working nurse and business owner who has lived in Elliot Lake for 27 years. She is the longest-standing member of the Accessibility Advisory Council, where she has served for 20 years, and is a past coordinator of the Safe Communities Elliot Lake Committee, co-lead of the Citizens on Patrol Committee, and secretary of the White Mountain Board. She has also served for 10 years as Vice President of her nursing business preparation and advisory group.
Why are you running for this position?
I am not pleased with the current council's inability to listen to or hear the will of the people.
What do you love most about your community?
The people are the strength of our community. The community began in the 1950s when the uranium mines opened. People came from every corner of the world to be here, work, raise families and make the city strong. The diversity of that situation allowed people to understand the importance of acting in the best interest of each other regardless of where you came from, what language you spoke or religion you practiced.
The city itself is in the wilderness of Northern Ontario, and is one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived. Nature abounds, but the feeling of camaraderie by the people of the city is what I cherish.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your municipality right now?
The faith in our current council is diminished, people do not feel that they matter, they do not trust the city council or the mayor to lead the city. Our city is showing the signs of a council that cannot tackle the infrastructure, bring in new business opportunities and welcome new families into the city as we need to be able to survive. We need to restore faith in Council, reconnect with the people in the city, answer their questions about what is happening and remind them of the power they have.
If elected, what is one thing you would like to accomplish during your term?
Fix the needed situations in the infrastructure and form a funding committee that shows excellence in obtaining grants to help move the city forward.
What is one thing you would like to see your municipality do differently?
Open up the status quo to consider new options for the way we invite people and businesses into the city. We have been known as a retirement city for a long time but it limits the people looking for opportunities of living and working here. We need to expand our marketing to encourage young people, entrepreneurs, remote online employees, new families to consider our city as a clean healthy option.
What does good local government look like to you?
Councillors having an open forum at least every 3 months for the community to come to to voice concerns, talk to each other and look at options to help with the issues facing the city. Prioritizing the peoples needs ahead of pet projects that are thought to make the city look good in the eyes of others but may not be worth the ticket price.
If you received a $1 million grant to use for your municipality any way you wanted, what would you do with it?
Try to establish trade schools in the city.
How do you approach working with people who disagree with you?
I ask them to tell me what their ideas are and why they are concerned about my stand on the issue and ask them what they would do in the situation. If you can get to the reason a person has a different viewpoint you may be able to find commonalities that will help with a compromise where both can agree.
What does having more women in local leadership change?
Women have long been ignored in politics but we are at least half of the population in most towns and cities, we have a different way of approaching situations with logic and heart together which allows us to see both sides of issues and problem solve in a more complete manner.
What is something about you that you would like voters to know that they might not learn from your campaign platform?
I am an incredibly private person and this is a huge stretch for me, but I feel it is important to try and make a difference.
Where can people find you?
Website: www.jacquelynmacknight.com
