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Sharon Shepherd spent 15 years on Kelowna City Council, six of them as Mayor. Shepherd took on those roles as Kelowna emerged as one of BC's fastest-growing cities. Kelowna's first female mayor came down to KelownaNow to reflect on her years in office and her role as a community builder.
Before she entered municipal politics in 1996, Sharon Shepherd was already a community advocate, getting involved in neighbourhood associations, parent advisory councils and other organizations in a way that was always socially minded.
When asked about the importance of becoming the city's first-ever female mayor, her first instinct is dismissive. "I never thought about that," she said. But she admits that it did matter to a lot of people. "To women that knew me at that time," she said, "and they would come up and say, 'you know, you were a big influence.'"
Shepherds demeanour as Mayor was soft-spoken and consultative. She was a good listener, who would never raise her voice or pound the table to make a point.
"Well that was my way," she agreed. "The theory that you have to be shouting and hollering to get your point across was never the way I did things. I believe in involving every one of those that are at the table and make sure everyone gets their share."
It was during Sharon Shepherd's time on council that the H2O was built, so that's a source of pride. "Every time I go there," she said, "it's my grandchildren now and they say, Nana, your name is up on the plaque."
Shepherd was involved in securing the completion of a new floating bridge. "We were the first to walk across the bridge," she recalled.
Airport expansion, Jim Stuart Park are a few other notable changes Shepherd recalls involvement in, along with countless decisions that can be seen in how roads are laid out and buildings designed.
Shepherd isn't shy about criticizing what's happened since she was in office. A lack of greenery for one: "They took out all the trees along the highway," Shepherd laments. And she's seen some good work gone to waste. She points to some of the work done during her time as Mayor on the issue of homeless for example, that wound up on a shelf.
"When Bill McKinnon was asked by the city to work on it," she said, he actually did call me and say 'A lot of the work was there.'"
Shepherd remains a very active and proud resident of Kelowna and after 42 years here she figures she's here to stay and enjoy the community that she had a hand in building.
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