Diana Dilworth may have taken a leave from her two jobs to run for public office, but the 43-year-old mother and business woman is keeping busy stumping for votes in Port Moody, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam in the lead-up to the Nov. 9 by-election.

In her campaign office on North Road, the noise is deafening as supporters work the phones to encourage voters to send the three-term PoMo councillor and operations manager for Fraser Basin Council to Ottawa.

“I’ve found I’ve got the most personal satisfaction from politics,” said Dilworth, as she counts off the various posts she’s held over the years — small business owner, government employee, non-profit manager, Crossroads Hospice Society volunteer and president, and politician. For Dilworth, meeting people, talking to them and working on their issues is what motivates her and she hopes her enthusiasm and experience will translate to voter support and propel her to office as a Conservative MP.

“The kids are grown (she has a daughter, 20 and a son 23) and I now have the time to get involved in politics on a full-time basis.”

She first ran for politics in 1999 when as a young mother she was discouraged by what she felt was a lack of youthful representation at the municipal level.

She won a seat as a Port Moody councillor, where she has since worked on improving park amenities, small business issues and sustainability through the establishment of a sustainability checklist for developers.

Dilworth also was on the environment committee when her city banned cosmetic pesticides, one of the first cities in Canada to do so.

She took a break from politics to look after her children, but leapt back into the fray a few years ago. Now she wants to be in politics full-time and believes the Conservatives uphold the values she believes in.

She supports the Conservative government’s tough stand on crime and, if elected, would like to work on issues such as toughening up bail requirements for gangsters. Aiding small business, tax relief, and helping families stay strong are among her other issues.

Dilworth said she’s proud of the $100 tax credit given to families with children under six and said the recently-passed Home Renovation Tax Credit inspired a lot of people to improve their homes in the summer.

“I’m responding to what people are telling me, what I’ve been hearing on doorstops, is the economy, people are concerned about jobs, people are concerned about the amount of money they have in their pockets at the end of the day, and crime and safety. Certainly gang issues have been raised in Port Moody and property crime (is an issue) in New Westminster.”

If she is elected, one of the first things Dilworth would do would be to try to get the riding’s name changed to add Port Moody, where she’s lived for 18 years. Former MP Dawn Black, who resigned to run for MLA, did the same but failed to get her private member’s bill passed. “I would come back and try again,” Dilworth said.

Although the byelection has been relatively quiet, Dilworth doesn’t think voters will stay home on election day. She thinks New Westminster-Coquitlam voters could surprise people by turning out.

If they do, she hopes they’ll put an “x” beside her name.

Dilworth’s website address is www.dianadilworth.ca