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Other things I was very interested in concerned the leisureâ€"recreational aspect of people, simply because we do have a lot of new people moving in with new and different ideas on how to spend their leisure time. Probably it would be easier on the candidates if they didn‘t have to cover the whole city. I really feel we should go to a referenâ€" dum on it, because that way you get a true picture of what people want, and what kind of representation they like. No. I think I certainly had forseen what was going to happen. I didn‘t know if I was going to make it or not against aldermen who had been in place for several years. It‘s difficult because they have their previous background, and have gained support from various sectors, so a new person coming in has a lot more difficulty in getting across to the people exactly where you are coming from. Yes. My main thrust was firstly my concern about housing â€" student housing was and still is a great concern. Basically, I find I get calls from all over the city to do and to manage some of the things that they need councillors to do. So whether it would improve under a ward system, I don‘t know. Were you surprised by the 1985 elecâ€" tion results? When you ran, it was largely on a reform ticket. All over the community. I‘ve had a lot of very good contacts in the community previous to that. Are you in favor of a ward system then, if your support came from across the community? I had several pockets of support in various spots. I think I would like a ward system with the overall regional repâ€" resentation. I don‘t know if it is going to be any more effective than what we have now. Schnarr has lived in Waterloo for 45 years, and has been very active in church groups. She is probably best known for her work in starting the first volunteer bureau in the area, and setting up the fiveâ€"day program of Meals on Wheels, a food service to seniors and shutâ€"ins. I‘ve always been interested in politics, since I was a little girl. I remember my grandfather working very hard for proâ€" vincial and federal politicians. I‘ve alâ€" ways taken a great interest. I‘ve tried to follow the movements in the Twin Cities. I‘ve always heen aware, very interested and tried to keep up to date with what‘s happening. I administered the Meals on Wheels program for 12 years and as such knew a lot of people around the Twin Cities. I guess a lot of people knew me and respected my opinion also. The current threeâ€"year term of office for this council now heads into its final year. The Chronicle will interview councillors in alphabetical order to ensure fairness. Today, Dorothy Schnarr is featured, and the next councillor to appear on these pages will be John Shortreed. Dorothy Schnarr, 61, is a newcomer to council, placing eighth in the 1985 municipal election. It is generally beâ€" lieved that her election, after campaignâ€" ing on a reformâ€"oriented platform was a surprise to many at city hall. Schnarr is the provincial president of Meals on Wheels. Where did your support come from in the last election? There has been much controversy at city hall during the past six months. First there was the coal tar issue, and What motivated you to enter politics in the first place? then a direct spinoff â€" council secrecy has been debated, with opposing sides rarely reaching a middle ground. | So when you got to city hall, what did you find? _ Thirdly, the older aldermen know why they voted a certain way on a certain issue. A newcomer does not know those reasons unless you discuss them personâ€" ally. Therefore, when issues come back before council, you have to really look at them and try to find out why the thing was either rejected or passed. It‘s difficult in a sense. When you come into new circumstances, no matter how many other groups you have worked with, you have to sit back and really get to know the people you are working with to see where they are coming from on issues. I think that is one of the basic things you have to do. Secondly, you‘re not always aware of how things are done, and so, that was a learning experience, too. When you first came here, you and councillors Lynne Woolstencroft and Anâ€" drew Telegdi were three very reformâ€" oriented people... The need for municipal pools was one of I think you will find, though, that my positions. basically the issue that zeroed us into _So the issues I ran on were people each other were the granny flat issue. So the issues I ran on were people issues. There were no grand reforms about keeping the hiâ€"rises out of the downtown area or any of those things, but mostly people‘s concerns. Yes, I knew you were going to ask that. Okay. I think the fact that we came in new, we were singled out by the media, we did have some (and still do have some) reform ideas. Willingness to learn motivates Dorothy Schnarr Council Profile Yes, and I think that‘s important. Staff certainly make a great contribuâ€" tion to this city, and certainly no council could work efficiently without the supâ€" port of the staff. I think we‘re very lucky One thing I‘ve noticed, is you seem to spend a lot of time when you do speak, thanking staff for a good job. Do you Do you intend to be more vocal in the future? That will depend on the issue. If I need to respond to the issue, or feel the issues are things that the people really want, I will be responding to, and asserting issues. What disappointments have you had as a member of council? In terms of contribution at council meetings, you don‘t seem to say a lot. I don‘t agree that everybody has to say the same thing around the council table. Many times, my opinions have been expressed by various people, and so I do not always express them over again, just for the sake of expressing them. There were some issues that have voted the same way on. There are other issues that I have voted differently on. I don‘t know whether you‘ve noticed it or not, but I vote according to the way I see an issue, rather than voting with a certain group of people or a certain person. t e t t We Rp & mtc sys sn n n zsn se WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 9, 1987 â€" PAGE 5 Yes, the last two years have really been a terrific learning experience. I think after the first year has elapsed, that you‘re really in a position to get going and really do the things that you want to do. Yes, loose party affiliations. I have worked for the Liberal party, but have not ever become heavily involved. I don‘t think there is anything particuâ€" lar at the moment which I would say is an issue. I can see a lot of issues around housing, and allowing the city to spread â€" there‘s a lot of issues here â€" and a lot of growthâ€"oriented issues with people moving here with new perspectives and new interests. I think that council is going to have to listen to those interests and work toward solving them for those people that are residents here for a long period of time, and for those newcomers to the city. Do you intend to run again? Certainly, I will seek reâ€"election next time around. If people realize that I could make decisions, and that I did know what I was talking about when I spoke on issues, then those people elected me to continue to do the same thing. Certainly, I have worked toward all the things I said I would in my election campaign, and will keep on working on those. lnchhfln’ i and low times. I don‘t think that 1 have had any terrible disappointâ€" What personal accomplishments or accomplishments of council are you most proud of? Since then, of course, there have been other issues. The poop and scoop byâ€"law, I guess came as a result of a lot of phone calls. So those are the things that I have No doubt there‘s other people who would have brought these same things. I think that each person who is elected to council is in a position to bring their own personalities and their own thought into play. Do you have any issues that you intend to bring onto the council agenda in the remainder of this term? Let‘s just say that the issues right now are coming from the broad community and I would not really be able to tell you what those issues are. ments. I think that anything I have voted against, if | have lost out on the vote, certainly it has been to the best advanâ€" ug of the city. you can be disappointed that you don‘t always get your own way, but certainly it isn‘t the end of the world. One of the first things I did was get through the enactment of the student housing licensing for rooming and lodgâ€" ing houses. I worked very closely on that one. managed to place before council, and certainly there have been many other issues which I have been able to work with staff and find the answers to them. I guess that I find that my strengths are in my ability to think out and really look at the questions for what they are. I think we can make snap decisions by listening to a certain side of an issue. I think that the broader aspect of it is listening to the many issues and the many facets and then putting them all together and then making a decision based on that. I think really that that is one of my great strengths. When I first came on to council, I was on the protective services committee, and I saw at very close quarters what hapâ€" pens to people that are confined to buildings that aren‘t safe and don‘t have the proper entrances and exits. So that was the first thing I did on council, and I don‘t think I was here any more than four weeks. What do you think you bring to council that might not otherwise be there? Do you have any party affiliations? Whatever job you do, you find there are What do you see as your strengths?