I am standing as a truly Independent candidate in Sgìre an Rubha – never having had any affiliation to a Political Party. As such when it comes to decision making my stance will be based on the wishes of constituents and the wellbeing of our community – NOT on following any Party line.
I retired as Depute Rector of The Nicolson Institute in 2010 so I have the experience and the time to devote to this post.
Experience and interests
Having worked in Education for 36 years – many of these at Senior Management level – I have extensive experience of committee work, managing change, planning and development and working with both statutory and voluntary agencies. In all of these activities my main focus has always been to provide a high quality service to pupils, parents and to the wider community.I would hope to transfer these skills to further the social and economic development of Sgìre an Rubha were I to become your elected member.
Since being in the fortunate position of obtaining employment on the island when I graduated from university I have involved myself in many activities on voluntary bases including Bayble and Garrabost Youth Club leader, Secretary of the Bayble and Garrabost Community Association, Bayble School Board member and a member of Cluicheadairean an Rubha (The Point Players Drama Group). More recently I have been involved in fundraising for Bethesda Hospice , assisting with The League of Friends of The Western Isles Hospital, a member of The Point Community Council and have been elected as Trustee of The Stornoway Trust.
While in The Nicolson Institute I was involved in many activities, including fundraising of many thousands of pounds to enable pupils to visit places outwith the island, eg Inverness, Edinburgh, London, France, Italy, Finland, China, New York and South Carolina USA. I was a founding member of The Lewis South Carolina Youth Exchange Group which resulted in the twinning of Stornoway with Pendleton.
These visits have broadened the horizons of many of our young people and allowed them to experience very different educational systems and cultures.
I am highly motivated, with a lot of energy which I propose to use for the development of facilities in my home district of An Rubha and in the wider context of the Western Isles.
Important points
- ·The state of our local economy and care for an ageing population are of major concern.
- ·Forward thinking is required in order to retain and attract young people, so that they may contribute economically and socially to the wellbeing of our island communities.
- ·People of all ages deserve high quality services which we must continue to provide and improve.
- ·The Comhairle must be, and be seen, to be honest and transparent in all of its activities.
- ·Money must not be wasted on compensation payments and unnecessary legal expenses without anyone being held responsible.
- ·Councillor expenses must be reduced and this funding be allocated to maintain frontline services.
- ·Support for Traditional Industries eg Harris Tweed, Fishing, Construction, as well as Tourism, IT companies, relocation of Government Agencies, Lews Castle College (UHI) and Renewable Energy schemes must be further developed.
I will support all campaigns and projects which will bring benefits to our local community.
With difficult times ahead, elected members will require to cooperate to come to informed decisions to obtain “Best Value” for our islands.
If elected on May 3rd I promise to work tirelessly on your behalf to progress community aspirations and projects.
Zena Stewart, Independent
Sgire an Rubha / Point