Cassandra Blackmore Brings Business, Social Services Experience To Fredericton Council
This article is part of series of profiles of entrepreneurs who’ve been elected to city councils in New Brunswick.
FREDERICTON – Cassandra Blackmore has spent over nine years working with small businesses. Now, she is taking that experience to City Council representing Ward 10.
Blackmore was elected to Council last month after running her first political campaign. She worked in a variety of roles with local downtown shop Robert Simmonds. After leaving the store, she launched her own business as a personal shopper for a year.
She has also served as a member of the Women in Business Fredericton and the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce before entering the non-profit sector as the Executive Director of Fredericton Community Kitchens in 2019.
Blackmore says she was inspired by newly-elected Mayor Kate Rogers, who called for more women to enter municipal politics.
“I thought I had a good skill set and a good background to be a valued asset to council,” she said. “There was also a push for more women in politics and it seemed like the best time to run.”
Blackmore is looking forward to getting to work addressing the challenges of homelessness and affordable housing. She’s also looking forward to working on some of the huge projects on the horizon like the Fredericton Playhouse’s redevelopment, regional aquatic centre, and the Officers’ Square revitalization project.
For small businesses, Blackmore says she would like to ensure communication between the City and businesses during construction season is strengthened so businesses are aware of when construction takes place, how long it takes place, and that disruption is minimal.
“I’d like to see that process be as swift and as beneficial to everyone as possible,” she said.
Blackmore also would like to encourage more events around the city and making the process of putting on events easier.
“Really working on tourism in Fredericton is something that’s really important to me,” she said.
Blackmore is also an advocate for the redevelopment of the New Brunswick Exhibition Grounds, which she says would be an excellent opportunity for the city’s business community.
“They want to have a market and community space and more green space, and much-needed housing that we all know we need,” she said. “I think there are some excellent opportunities with the NB Ex development to bring the community together, to bring the Ward 10 residents together, and form a new hub in the city that drives our economy, but also drive community connection.”
Along with those initiatives, Blackmore feels that her experience in the business community makes her a great contact and makes her an excellent representative on the council.
“I have a wealth of connections within the business community and I understand all the different sectors and where they’re coming from and the challenges they face,” she said. “Having that understanding is really important because it helps you to have that perspective when you’re looking at issues of both social services and the business community.”
Blackmore is not the only new face on the Fredericton council with strong ties to the business and non-profit communities. Jason LeJeune, representing Ward 11, is another newly elected councilor who Blackmore says she is excited to work with. They were sworn in with the rest of the council on June 14.
“Now we have a council with multiple council members who have an in-depth knowledge of the non-profit sector and the social services and a lot of those social issues,” she said. “I think that will really bring a new perspective to Council in making sure that the social issues and the social services aren’t forgotten when we’re looking toward the future.”
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