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.

Hampsteadis an extraordinary community. It has an active, well-educated andvery involved population. Many of the values that are important to meare, also, evident in the Town - a commitment to family, a clearrespect and courtesy for other people, a high regard for education andpersonal growth, an appreciation of the beauty and heritage of theTown, a growing awareness of the importance of a ‘sustainable &green’ community, and last but not least - an interest in the worldbeyond our borders.

I am convinced that one of my most importantmandates is the stewardship of the Green Future of Hampstead. As acommunity we have a growing awareness of the fragile nature of ourenvironment. Even our trees, which we may sometimes take for granted,have a limited life-span of not more than forty years in this urbansetting. In my custodial role, I am continually looking foropportunities to create a self-sustaining landscape for Hampstead - onethat has the capacity to improve and renew itself. The renowned beautyof Hampstead has suffered from much neglect over the past few years;this is a situation which I seek to redress with a comprehensiveBeautification Master plan which will include sustainable floral areas,a tree renewal program, road median embellishment, green spacedevelopment, urban furniture replacement etc. We also expect to beable to finance such initiatives with innovative methods other than thetraditional tax-based approach.

I also believe that we have tokeep looking ahead, particularly as we repair and develop both ourunderground infrastructure and our above-ground green space. We mustkeep reinvesting to protect the value of our Town assets. To this end,I have commissioned detailed studies of our water distributionnetworks, the sewer network plus the system of manholes/catch basinsand main valves. A Roads quality study was already available andformed a basis for the 2006 and 2007 Roads Rejuvenation Programs.

Maintainingour infra-structures is a continuing challenge for all levels ofgovernments and for municipalities of all sizes and resources. Thefinancial burden is particularly onerous for a Town that has limitedrevenue growth potential. Our community is fully developed and ourborders are fixed. There is no significant additional future revenueto augment our coffers. We must constantly challenge ourselves to findinnovative, cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of ourcommunity. For example, in the years to come, I can see us bringingthis challenge to our residents and service partners to exploit newbest practices in the areas of garbage collection, recycling, greenspace management and snow removal - to both improve service and controlcosts.

This year I will be celebrating my 30th year of municipalservice. I can assure all that this is a happy milestone in my life. I am deeply committed to improving the quality of life and theeffectiveness of client and community services in Hampstead. Insteadof feeling complacent, I am looking forward to daily challenges!

Inkeeping with our ‘small-town/best-town' goals, our administration andemployees are encouraged to provide services in a timely and friendlymanner. My highest priority is for our staff to take ownership of aproblem, and not to pass the buck. Our objective is to rekindle thecommunity spirit, to stay close to your needs and to efficiently andeffectively 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 buildinga new, young team of Public Service Providers, I would encourage youto help me with your feedback. Let me know the problems - when you aresatisfied, and when you are not. I am interested in your ideas andsuggestions. You can e-mail me - and I will respond to you in areasonable timeframe.

Our interests are the same; we arestakeholders in this Town. Together, we will build a better Hampstead- for you today and your children tomorrow.

Richard Sun
Director General

GENERAL MANAGEMENT STAFF MEMBERS