 Invitation to a Conversation with Richard Sun (DG) My vision for Hampstead is empowered by my own deep sense of community and my passion for Public Service.
Hampstead
is an extraordinary community. It has an active, well-educated and
very involved population. Many of the values that are important to me
are, also, evident in the Town - a commitment to family, a clear
respect and courtesy for other people, a high regard for education and
personal growth, an appreciation of the beauty and heritage of the
Town, a growing awareness of the importance of a ‘sustainable &
green’ community, and last but not least - an interest in the world
beyond our borders.
I am convinced that one of my most important
mandates is the stewardship of the Green Future of Hampstead. As a
community we have a growing awareness of the fragile nature of our
environment. Even our trees, which we may sometimes take for granted,
have a limited life-span of not more than forty years in this urban
setting. In my custodial role, I am continually looking for
opportunities to create a self-sustaining landscape for Hampstead - one
that has the capacity to improve and renew itself. The renowned beauty
of Hampstead has suffered from much neglect over the past few years;
this is a situation which I seek to redress with a comprehensive
Beautification Master plan which will include sustainable floral areas,
a tree renewal program, road median embellishment, green space
development, urban furniture replacement etc. We also expect to be
able to finance such initiatives with innovative methods other than the
traditional tax-based approach.
I also believe that we have to
keep looking ahead, particularly as we repair and develop both our
underground infrastructure and our above-ground green space. We must
keep reinvesting to protect the value of our Town assets. To this end,
I have commissioned detailed studies of our water distribution
networks, the sewer network plus the system of manholes/catch basins
and main valves. A Roads quality study was already available and
formed a basis for the 2006 and 2007 Roads Rejuvenation Programs.
Maintaining
our infra-structures is a continuing challenge for all levels of
governments and for municipalities of all sizes and resources. The
financial burden is particularly onerous for a Town that has limited
revenue growth potential. Our community is fully developed and our
borders are fixed. There is no significant additional future revenue
to augment our coffers. We must constantly challenge ourselves to find
innovative, cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of our
community. For example, in the years to come, I can see us bringing
this challenge to our residents and service partners to exploit new
best practices in the areas of garbage collection, recycling, green
space management and snow removal - to both improve service and control
costs.
This year I will be celebrating my 30th year of municipal
service. I can assure all that this is a happy milestone in my life.
I am deeply committed to improving the quality of life and the
effectiveness of client and community services in Hampstead. Instead
of feeling complacent, I am looking forward to daily challenges!
In
keeping with our ‘small-town/best-town' goals, our administration and
employees are encouraged to provide services in a timely and friendly
manner. My highest priority is for our staff to take ownership of a
problem, and not to pass the buck. Our objective is to rekindle the
community spirit, to stay close to your needs and to efficiently and
effectively solve any service issues.
In my experience,
Hampstead residents are extremely generous in thoughts and actions,
while being equally demanding of quality and results. As I am building
a new, young team of Public Service Providers, I would encourage you
to help me with your feedback. Let me know the problems - when you are
satisfied, and when you are not. I am interested in your ideas and
suggestions. You can e-mail me - and I will respond to you in a
reasonable timeframe.
Our interests are the same; we are
stakeholders in this Town. Together, we will build a better Hampstead
- for you today and your children tomorrow.
Richard Sun Director General |