The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

FALL WINTER NB U ( Up to /0 OFF MA Come Early for /// Best Selection! J 249â€"251 Lakeshore Rd. 'E' bowntown Oakville â€" 844â€"1444 We met in her Board Room beside her office â€" a room dominated by an immense, round table â€" a solid metaphor for her executive style. The table is a leveller, suggesting equality, promoting openness and hopefully consensus. The Mayor is not above physically changing chairs with others around the table, better to grasp their pointsâ€"ofâ€"view. Whatever works. She tries not to take herself too seriously, she says. "This is who I am," she says matâ€" terâ€"ofâ€"factly, slouching just a little in her chair and resting an elbow on the board table. "It‘s taken me years to be comfortable with who I am. I‘m not going to deny it and I‘m not going to sell my soul." This is our Mayor. Oneâ€"onâ€"one. A relaxed Mulvale speaks at breakâ€"neck speed and slips serious commentary in between slices of humor, mostly of the selfâ€"effacing kind. Quips about her simpleâ€"mindedness and her clothes sense. Pullâ€"ease. (Well, clothes sense, maybe.) On returning to England in more recent times to make arrangements for her ailing parents she reflects, "Sometimes I felt I was locked in a British sitâ€"com." The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts is here along with a large number of galleries, museums and community facilities. There are over 400 shops and services to discover here, right in the heart of Oakville. You‘ll find everything from sumptuous dining to charming oneâ€"ofâ€"aâ€"kind boutiques. You‘ll have to be careful. Why? Because you‘ll find the variety of shopping and entertainment in Downtown Oakville absolutely breathâ€"taking! Legendary Shopping Ahead "I have a core of people," she points out with a wry smile, "who if they ever thought I was getting above myself, would feel free to let me know." Among them would be her children. A former homemaker turned community activist; a former Town Councillor for old Ward 3; and former Executive Director of Oakville‘s United Way; the Mayor is big on democracy. she maintains. She knows now that she bounces (not breaks) and that â€" win or lose â€" life goes on. (A rationalâ€" ization? I don‘t think so.) Her experiences in losing elections (her first run at Council, and then in her first attempt to occupy the Mayor‘s office), actually helped her, "I have a core of people who, if they every thought 1 was getting above myself, would feel free to let me know." Mayor Ann Mulvale Take your choice of the sidewalk cafes, bistros and restaurants that offer every type of cuisine. nunicipal lots and at the street ‘6 p.m., Sundays and holidays. And when the sun goes down, the fun goes on! You‘ll find live theatre, English pubs and fine dining to enjoy all evening long. Best of all, you won‘t have far to go. We‘re just minutes from anywhere in Oakville, and we‘re ; easy to reach by public transit, bike or * car, with plenty of free parking. 7. There is so much to do. You may never want to leave. @) Discover Downtown Oakville soon! Mulvale has since extended that philosophy to include everyone in the community, not just elected officials. "Our citizens are the untapped resources of our community," she says. "The question is, do we have an openâ€"door philosophy in this town that will allow these resources to transfer in and out, as needed?" At 43, this wife and mom of two sons, and Mayor of Oakville for just over four years, admits she is almost always tired. "The pace I go at is incredible. I‘ve done as many as four appearances between 5 and 7:00 p.m. and still made the 7:30 p.m. Council Meeting," she says not as a boast, but a statement of fact. Mulvale (nee Parkes) maintains that every speech she gives at a school or retirement home, every ribbon cutâ€" ting for a new business, is important to her because it is important to the peoâ€" ple involved. "Each ribbon cutting is a Her philosophy is, "If people want their Mayor somewhere; their Mayor will be there." (See ‘Mayor‘ page 4)