My name Is Karen Goforth. I am the third youngest of 8 children. My family moved to the Creston Valley 18 years ago. Growing up, I enjoyed being involved with Girl Guides, sports teams, my church youth group, and participated in many community events including the Santa Claus Parade, the Blossom Festival, Community cleanups and the Fall Fair. I have a passion for health, fitness, and finance; and in recent years I have accomplished educational goals achieving certification in personal training, nutritional coaching, and my Life License Qualification Program with Primerica. Currently, I am a Registered Massage Therapist and own and operate the Go Forth Health and Wellness Clinic. Being involved in the community has taught me valuable skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and service.
Municipal, Provincial, and Federal level Politics have always been topics of conversation in our household.
As a taxpaying resident and business owner in Creston, I really developed a passion for local politics and began researching what it is that I could do to step up and be a voice for the community.
Prior to the Fire Hall referendum, I attended open houses put on by the town, as well as the public meetings sponsored by concerned citizens so that I could make an informed decision. Since the first referendum, I have attended many Advisory Select Committee meetings and I believe we should take a “live within one’s means” approach in regards to the construction of a fire hall. The tax base to debt load ratio needs to be carefully considered before any new projects are undertaken. These experiences made me realize that I want to be more involved in the political process and that all Creston citizens deserve to become better connected and informed.
Transparency, community engagement in the decision-making process, and economic growth are of great importance to me. In order to engage more Creston citizens in local politics and make it easier for them to stay connected, it is my goal to pursue video feeds of council meetings. By live-streaming, governments are demonstrating transparency and accountability; it also provides real-time and accurate information to citizens quickly and efficiently.
I have been attending town council meetings for the past year so that I can learn what the roles and responsibilities of a councillor are, what issues they deal with, and what the process is that leads up to how a decision is made. I want to be prepared and informed if I am elected. I don’t always have the answers, but I have an enquiring mind, I am passionate, and I will exhibit responsible leadership skills by having an open mind and make decisions that are in the best interest of our town. I bring a fresh perspective and I will be a voice for an underrepresented demographic. A councillor’s job is to represent the community! To represent what services you want, and at what level you want them. A vote for Goforth is a vote for responsible, transparent leadership.