Vote RUBIS if you're a SENIOR because...

...my parents are both Octagenarians, and I see daily the issues that confront them (healthcare, home management, retaining personal mobility, maintaining independence, fixed income issues). I'll make representing their interests a priority with Town Council.

Vote RUBIS if you're UNDER-Employed because...

...I share your pain. I've been underemployed for 14 months, and I'm digging deep to ensure long-term economic security for my family. Representing your needs on Town Council is a given.

Vote RUBIS if you're a Gen-X'er because...

...I've worked with your generation through your growing pains to adulthood, and I understand your frustration with the excesses of the Boomers. I'll work hard on Council to support your hopes and aspirations

Vote RUBIS if You're A Boomer...

Because I'm a Boomer too. I understand the issues that drive you (environmental, social, economic).  I'm committed to pursuing all available avenues to represent you on Town Council.

Who I Am and What I Believe...

I'd like to be elected for who I am, rather than on campaign sound-bites. For those so inclined, hosting my election bid here lets you dig deeper than the immediate campaign planking.

I've temporarily rebranded this blog "Rubis for Council" and here I'll address the issues that drive you. Dig through the archives and you'll find the issues that drive me.

And so, to kick off , here's "Who I Am" and "What I Believe"

WHO I AM

Rob Rubis, Candidate for Councillor for the Town of Princeton 

A Local Boy:

• Born (in the old PGH)
• Raised on the family farm down the Old Hedley Road
• Educated from K-12 in the old Princeton Elem/Sec School (the “new” Strip Mall)

A Family Man, with;

·         A supportive wife and partner of 15 years.

·         A five-year-old son starting Kindergarten in the fall and a daughter expected in September.

·         Long-term Princeton ties (Mother Elsie a 3^rd-gen Princetonite; Father John arrived in 1932).

·         A political legacy here (John Rubis served as Councillor 1987-90 and Mayor from 1990-93)

A Global Citizen, having;

·         Attended both UBC (B.SC, Teaching Certificate & Librarian Credentials) and SFU (M.ED, Computers in Education), as well as pursuing coursework in Educational Technology and Leadership at USC (U of S California, San Diego) and SUNY (State University of NY)

·         Held summer mining jobs on Vanc Island, in the BC Rockies and North Interior, and on Baffin Island.

·         Labored in the Forest Industry in Princeton (bush work) and Quesnel (river drive and plywood plant)

·         Lived in and assimilated the finer aspects of Buddhist culture through 25 years of life in Thailand.

·         Met the public as a waiter in Vancouver and Toronto, Ontario and a cabbie in Toronto.

·         Served as a School Teacher-Librarian in Quesnel, Abbotsford, Tripoli, Libya and Bangkok, Thailand

·         Taught elementary school in Princeton (John Allison School), Quesnel and Abbotsford.

A  “Doer”. I have;

• Managed school libraries of up to 50,000 items with budgets in excess of $250,000.
• Planned/implemented technological and social upgrades to library systems on 3 continents
• Supervised (hiring & evaluating) teacher and support staffs of up to 20 over a 20 yr period
• Administered Summer Session learning programs for over 400 students

An Environmentalist, having;

·         Promoted sustainable living practices with students k-12 throughout my teaching career.

·         Returned to Princeton from Bangkok to “walk the talk” of reducing my carbon footprint.

·         Commented on social, educational and environmental issues online at

o   http://maishangrila.blogspot.ca/                      rubisr at http://twitter.com  

o    http://edgingahead.edublogs.org/                  rubisr on http://facebook.com

·         Written a novel based on a “business as usual” scenario with regard to the environment. “Look inside the book” & Kindle edition at; http://www.amazon.com/Mai-Shangri-Robert-J-Rubis/dp/1434861627# _

WHAT I BELIEVE

I believe that;

1.       Global Warming is a real and accelerating phenomenon demanding the attention of  every citizen of the planet. The effects of Global Climate Change from Global Warming will likely include higher snowfall, larger runoff, increased storm frequency and severity and greater disruption of electricity, gas and retail supply deliveries.   In view of this ;

·         Canada is the best place in the world to live, raise a family and work to restore a sustainable future. 

2.       A Global Economic Recession, possibly another Great Depression is almost inevitable, during which time communities will be pressed to meet the economic and social needs of their citizens. In view of this:

·         Princeton IS the future: a small, collaborative but self-reliant community of individualists pursuing a sustainable future for family but willing to work collectively for the greater good of the community.

3.     During the years ahead, small communities will be hard-pressed to maintain community services (e.g. ER and Hospital services), promote sustainable development (e.g. rdos Economic Development Plan, Sustainable Similkameen Project and Similkameen Valley Planning Society projects)  and research growth opportunities (e.g. Fortis Similkameen River hydro project proposal, National Park proposal, new tourism initiatives). In view of this:

·         The next Town Council will need to be collaborative, committed, creative and perhaps prescient in leadership of and responsibility to the people of Princeton.

If elected as your new Town Councillor, I pledge to:

·         Work diligently within the current Town Council structure to move forward on current issues including;

o   Resolving the Emergency Room dilemma &

o   Addressing the Urban Deer Problem

·         Advocate for and contribute constructively to action on “Next” Council Priorities including;

o   Updating the Economic Development Strategy for the Okanagan Similkameen

o   Reviewing and Revising a Recreational Master Plan

·         Support initiatives that;

o   Enhance the area’s economic viability in the event of widespread economic recession or depression

o   Reverse our population decline by enhancing the social support systems for an aging citizenry

o   Ensure Disaster Preparedness Planning is in step with global economic and environmental realities.

In short, I have;

The Experience – to serve with a fresh perspective, attention to detail and a “Big Picture” view.

The Passion – to infuse Town Council with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to completion.

The Training – to bring a Creative Intuition, a Collaborative Mindset and a Team ethic to the table.

The Wisdom  - to Listen First, think, check and evaluate next, and respond based on full understanding of the issues.

Vote Rob Rubis for Councillor

New Directions

 I have been watching with growing alarm the US Presidential race. My view is that if the Right prevails, we will be in for a long and dark winter on the environmental front. Mr. Romney's pledge to crank up the rate of offshore drilling, fracking and coal exploitation says it all.

And that's my cue to explain today's post heading. For the next while (and perhaps the next LONG while), I'll use this site as a forum for the Newest Direction my life has taken.

I believe in the power of the democratic system, as messy as it sometimes can be, and when I learned that a single candidate was running in a By-Election for a local Town Council seat, I decided to throw my hat into the ring. The people of my small town have the right to choose who will represent them at the local political level, and by enterning the race, I am giving them that choice.

My campaign will be my first public "outing" of the forces that drive me, and it will be interesting to see if the people in this small corner of Canada will endorse my views.   I believe that I have the insights, the integrity and the intensity to engage in a little world-shaping at the level of my current "locus of control".  Let the games begin...

The First Cut is the Deepest...

...but the NEXT one's the one to watch for ;0)

Following a full-on month of re-reading, cutting, revising, cutting, reorganizing, cutting, rethinking, cutting, and still more cutting (superfluous adjectives, gratuitous adverbs, and unnecessary uses of "that"), I submitted my new  leaner, meaner and, I think, much more readable version of "The Wayback Machine" to ABNA 5 in the YA division.

This version (now titled "The Way Back") shows the results of five years of gestation and development. It kicks off with more punch, introduces the characters more quickly, and gets the story rolling much more efficiently.  My first 5000 words really ought to leave the reader thinking, "So what happens next?"

So far, so good. The new book made the first cut, moving one to the quarter-finals (1000 of 5000 original entries), to be announced March 20th. That's great news, because the First Cut is made solely on the basis of the 300 word "pitch", and now professional reviewers will read the first 5000 words to decide which 250 novels go forward. If my "first 5000" is a much improved as I think it is, maybe, just maybe, we'll make it to the quarter finals.

I've been here before. A couple of years ago an entry made the first cut, but died there. I rationalized that with a thousand entries, many or even most of which are actually publishable, it's actually just a dice-roll about what moves on. So this time I'm not holding my breath, but I have to admit, staying in the game this far has my pulserate up just a bit. Stay tuned for March 20th....