Pam Damoff enters race for local Ward 2 councillor She's organized spectacular community events and now she's hoping to bring her skills to the council chamber. Community organizer Pam Damoff has announced that she will be running for the position of local Ward 2 councillor in the Oct. 25 municipal election. Damoff has had a leading role in many important local events serving as chair of the Oakville Santa Claus Parade for the last six years, an organizer of Oakville's Terry Fox Run and a key member of the organizing committee for the annual Sydney Clark fundraiser for Sick Kids Hospital Do You Believe in Magic? She has also served as the team captain of one of the most successful Relay For Life teams here in Oakville and has dedicated countless hours towards the Canadian Cancer Society. A long-time advocate of Ward 2, Damoff successfully spearheaded a campaign to save Brookdale Pool from closure and has continued to fight the closure of Oakville's outdoor pools. Damoff has also been active with Oakville's Ward 2 schools for the last eight years. She served as chair of Brookdale's School Council and later as chair of Thomas A. Blakelock's School Council. Damoff has her own consulting business where she provides financial analysis to the commercial real estate industry. Damoff has lived in Ward 2 for 18 years. She can be reached at 905582-4237 or by e-mail at pam@pamdamoff.ca. Two other candidates have registered to run for local Ward 2 councillor -- Fred Oliver, who is running for local council after years of representing the ward as a regional councillor, and John C. Pilcher. 13 · Wednesday, March 24, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Pam Damoff Oakville NDP to select federal candidate The Oakville New Democratic Party Riding Association will select its candidate for the next federal election in a nomination meeting Thursday night. Two candidates are campaigning for the position this year -- Michelle Bilek and James Ede. Bilek was the only individual who campaigned for the local NDP candidacy at the last election in 2008. Because there are two this year, the NDP expects more interest in the party from the public. "It definitely does increase interest. We're going to have a good turnout that night," said Sean Cain, communications director for Oakville NDP. "We don't really know now how many people are coming out, but we're expecting a larger than usual turnout because there is this interest and the candidates have been campaigning for a couple months." During the 2006 election year, there were three candidates seeking to represent the NDP in Oakville. Bilek is a local activist who works in long-term care as a community resource manager. She's an advocate for environmental sustainability, workers' rights and economic democracy. Bilek is a board member and fundraising chair with Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services and a director or the Toronto chapter of the United Nations Association in Canada. Ede is a teaching assistant who is completing his Ph.D. in political science at York University. The Oakville resident has worked with Oxfam and Amnesty International on social justice and human rights issues. NDP MPP Rosario Marchese will be the guest speaker at the event. The meeting takes place at Oakville Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Rd. It begins at 7 p.m. Growing the Greenbelt on April 1 To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Greenbelt and its future growth in Oakville, Oakvillegreen will host an event on Thursday, April 1. It will take place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and feature guest speaker and CBC reporter Wendy Mesley. The event will be held at the Harbour Lighthouse Banquet and Conference Centre, 2340 Ontario St. in Bronte Village. To RSVP, contact Nicola Lee at nlgreenbeltevents@gmail.com.