Born and raised in Preston, Corey Kimpson is proud to represent her community as a newly elected Cambridge city councillor.
A third-generation resident in Ward 3, she was voted in at last week’s municipal election. Today, Kimpson says she can’t wait to begin her new role.
"It’s a big adjustment when you go from what seems a billion miles a minute in campaign mode, and then to election night. And now, I’m just really excited to get started,” Kimpson says.
“I am honoured to be the choice for Ward 3 as councillor and to represent the people in my community.”
Kimpson has lived in Ward 3 her entire life. Today, she still resides in her old neighbourhood and in her childhood home with her husband and two daughters.
“I had an amazing team of people behind me who worked tirelessly to get me here. It was wonderful going door-to-door and talking to people in my community. I’m so grateful and so honoured to represent them,” Kimpson says.
Just like her neighbours, Kimpson says Ward 3 is her home, and she wants neighbourhoods in the area to be inclusive, accessible, vibrant, fun, and safe.
“When I was campaigning and meeting with people, the one thing they are really concerned about is community safety, specifically, traffic and speeding,” Kimpson says.
“No matter where you are in Ward 3, there is concern about the rates of speed that vehicles travel throughout the area. There are many people who are trying to create walkable communities and encourage more pedestrians and cyclists. I think that’s something that needs to be looked at, different measures that can be put in place to make our community safer.”
Kimpson says as a councillor, she wants to bring a positive and collaborative approach, to keep people informed before, and not after, decisions are made.
“I would really like to work on communication between city and constituents to increase engagement so that people in the community not only know what’s going on, but also understand what’s going on,” Kimpson says.
“Hopefully this can lead to more satisfaction and perhaps even increase voter turnout at the next election.”
As a local business owner, Kimpson says she has always believed in giving back to her community and has volunteered for several years in areas including healthcare and education, as well as for the Preston Towne Centre BIA, and the Preston Towne Market Planning Committee.
In 2020, Kimpson received international recognition as the recipient of The Beryl Institute's Innovative Patient and Family Advisory of Year Award for her volunteer work as a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council at Cambridge Memorial Hospital.
In Ward 3, Kimpson says she is dedicated to creating and maintaining a thriving community, specifically in the Preston core area, by preserving its rich history and balancing the community with new development and growth.
When it comes homelessness, Kimpson says tackling the issue requires collaboration and dedication.
“Certainly, homelessness is not something that is going to be solved quickly by one person or a group of people,” Kimpson says.
“Homelessness requires a true collaboration between different levels of government along with community agencies and community members, so we can all work together to support as many of our residents as we can.”
It's been a year since council voted to endorse bringing a Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS) to 150 Main St, in Cambridge.
“I would like to see us do everything we can at the municipal level to ensure that anything that we bring to the community will serve the needs of everyone, both those who are accessing services at the CTS, and also others, because this is something that everyone as a community can potentially benefit from,” Kimpson says.
“But we also need to ensure that appropriate services are available to those utilizing the CTS. This too, will involve collaboration. We will have to be innovative with what we do and how we do it, and to make sure that what is being offered, is tailored to our community’s specific needs."
Kimpson looks forward to bringing a positive vision and enthusiasm to the table and says she is hopeful for the newly elected council.
“To be able to do this type of work, it really is incredible. I feel that we have a lot of energy moving forward, and a lot of different backgrounds of people. We can all learn from one another to better represent the community,” Kimpson says.
“For me, it’s because of Ward 3, that has made me who I am today.”
