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

GENERAL MANAGEMENT STAFF MEMBERS