My name is Peter Bailey. I’m Director of the St. Albert Public Library. I live in Westmount where I run into Sue at school council meetings, community league meetings and so on.

We’re been neighbours of Sue and Kevin since 2001, and our kids go to school together. But I really got to know Sue playing ball hockey at Westglen school with the group Sue and Kevin organized. You can really learn a lot about a person when you’re sitting on a bench next to them, covered in sweat, gasping for breath, wondering if the pounding in your heart is completely normal.

At hockey I learned that Sue is tough, tenacious and a team-builder.

Tough? This attractive sometimes-blonde woman? Absolutely. A word of advice to opponents of Sue: keep your head up. Going into a corner against Sue? Keep your elbows up! Whenever a new guy shows up to play ball hockey I watch to see how they treat Sue. Usually their first time going into a corner against her to get the ball they are confident of their success, treating her gingerly. Inevitably Sue comes out of the corner with the puck and the guy limps back to the bench with a shocked look on his face. Sue’s political opponents have also learned the error of underestimating Sue.

At hockey I learned that Sue is fiercely tenacious. She goes up against the biggest guys along the boards and will absolutely refuse to give up the puck. Sue does not give up the fight. It doesn’t matter the size of the opponent. I’ve seen this in Sue’s fight to save our local school. She didn’t care if the odds were stacked against her. She fought and kept fighting and she won.

At hockey, in a gym full of testosterone, Sue shows all the big guys the power of estrogen – she’s both a natural leader and a team player. Fearless. Loyal. One year we had a guy who was taking big, booming slapshots at the goalies. Not allowed, but all the guys said nothing. Not Sue. She gave this guy a warning. When it continued she walked up to him and said “You’re done”. And he was. We never saw him again. Sue has your back. She will stick up for you. She is completely unafraid to speak truth to power. So Ted Morton? Ron Liepert? Look out – “You’re done”.