PUBLIC INPUT IMPORTANT TO MAYOR

Baker wants people to
know She is listening

North Vancouver District Mayor Marilyn Baker is one of 56 Greater
Vancouver women nominated for a YWCA Woman of Distinction
Award, in the category of Communications and Public Affairs. West
Vancouver nominees will be featured in the Sunday, May 14 West Van-
couver Villager. Award winners in each of the seven categories will be

announced on May 11.

MARILYN BAKER the mayor is just the latest incarnation
of Marilyn Baker the travel agent, community activist,

alderman, mother and sailor.

A resident of the Seymour area
for over 20 years, Baker’s in-
volvement in the municipal politi-
cal process began with campaigns
for better access to local preschool
and day care — which resulted in
the child-care facility at
Maplewood Farm — and led to her
current mayoral post which she has
held for seven years.

Along the way, Baker acted as
district alderman between 1976 and
1979, after running unsuccessfully
in the 1973 election, and again in
1981 after returning from a year-
and-a-half sailing holiday in
Europe.

After Don Bell’s resignation as
mayor in 1982, Baker was elected
to fill his shoes.

Since then, ‘‘the job has not got
any less busy,”’ says Baker, who
routinely starts days with 6:30 a.m.
mectings, sits on committees most
nights of the week and attends
four or five official functions
many weekends.

Much of the workload is self-
induced: the increased public par-
ticipation that Baker has en-
couraged during her term as mayor
has inevitably resulted in a greater
draw on her energy and that of her
staff.

Sussex)
Realty

Hence her annoyance when local
residents accuse council of being
unresponsive to their concerns.

**Periodically you get
handed the perception
that government and
politicians are a bad
word .... People say
you don’t listen, you
don’t care.”’

Mayor Marilyn Baker

ee]
“‘Periodically you get handed the
perception that government and
politicians are a bad word... I
work very hard at my job,"’ she
says. ‘‘People say you don’t listen,
you don’t care. I find that very

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Some of the residents’ eyes are
opened, she notes, when they come
to a council meeting and witness
the large list of items with which
the district must grapple every
week.

Along with individual com-
plaints and requests, Baker and her
council are currently addressing
large-scale issues, such as a com-
prehensive recycling program, a
major transportation study, the il-
legal suite situation, the movement
of hazardous goods within the
community and the expulsion of
effluent into our water and air.

“[’'m pleased with the progress
we've made,’’ Baker says, refer-
ring to the ground covered on the
recycling program and the increas-
ed awareness of hazardous materi-
als. But, she notes, there is still
much work facing the district in
tackling the other issues, and
community planning remains an
ongoing concern.

Does it all get too much some-
times? Yes, and that’s when Baker
and her husband go sailing. “If
I'm at home, I’m at work,” she
rues, noting that on the water is
the only place to get away from
telephones and paperwork.

Walking, jogging and reading
are other forms of escape, al-
though she says she currently
doesn’t have much time to indulge
in any of them.

What is the reward for the hectic
schedule she holds as mayor, dep-
uty chairman of the GVRD and
president of the Union of B.C.
Municipalities? ‘‘To see a suc-
cessful conclusion to a problem.”’

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photo Terry Peters

IT’S NOT often that Mayor Marilys Baker has leisure time to spend in
the park — her werking day often starts at 6:30 a.m. and rarely finishes

until after an evening meeting. Baker is one of seven North Shore women
nominated for the YWCA Women of Distinction award.

Jake your besf shot of June Days at
Edgemont Village and win...

1st Prize - Framed 8 X 10 enlargement of
your winning picture and 24 exposure film

2nd Prize - Framed 5 X 7 enlargement of
your picture and 24 exposure film.

Prizes courtesy of Village Photo, 3161 Edgemont Boulevard

How to Enter:
Take your camera to June Days on June
10th at Edgemont Village. Capture the fun
and send your best picture along to the
Capilano Chronicle by June 28th. Mark the
envelope Photo Contest, Attention: Dorinda
Emery.

‘You could make the front page
in your july issue.

1139 Lonsdale
North Vancouver
V7M 2H4