To the editor
For close to a year I had the privilege of working with Cheryl Martens, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Town of Princeton.
She is a woman of quality who has been cohesive in creating a strong, committed team, building on mutual cooperation and respect. She adhered to government regulation, order and responsibility as defined in the BC Community Charter, a charter she knew back to front.
She was confronted by many challenges when she first arrived and she dealt with each one, building a healthy work environment as she went along.
Cheryl Martens is greatly respected by those staff and council who had the opportunity of working with her progressive, open model of leadership. She truly elevated every aspect of the Town of Princeton.
Cheryl Martens is university educated, plus she constantly upgraded her municipal accreditations, knowledge and skills, bringing it all back to serve the community with. She had 20 years experience to draw from.
For the newly elected council, she arranged to have them participate in a workshop designed for new councilors with the guru of municipal politics, author and lecturer, George Cuff. They travelled to West Kelowna and joined other municipalities in the region for this training.
Her attention to assisting the newly elected members to understand their council boundaries and responsibilities of their important governance, demonstrates her dedication as a CAO to building cooperative relationships that work together well in order to benefit the people of Princeton.
What happens inside the Princeton Municipality will have a huge influence on the entire community. Cheryl knew this and she never compromised the integrity of her office as Princeton’s CAO or the integrity of her directors and staff. She remained dependable in her values of equality and fairness. She will be greatly missed.
Rosemary Doughty
Former Princeton councillor