With nine years on the Rocky Mountain School District’s board on her resume, Edgewater-based trustee Roberta Hall says it’s time to move on to another level of politics.

Hall, a three-term trustee for the Windermere Zone, will challenge incumbent Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) director Gerry Wilkie for the Area G seat.

“It’s where I live, and it’s just kind of the next step for me in politics,” says Hall.

Born and raised in the Columbia Valley, Hall currently lives in Edgewater, where she runs a home-based window-covering business. She says she’s not coming into the RDEK race because of specific issues, but because she cares about the community.

“I just really wanted to give back to the community,” she says.

“I think this is something I can do where I would be able to be more effective in my community.”

She also thinks her nine years as a trustee will ease a transition to a new branch of government.

“You know the process, you know the protocol, you know how to work as a team. You’ve got some connections.”

If elected, Hall says she would work to connect communities — not just those in Area G, but across the valley.

“I really think the Columbia Valley has a lot of offer, and maybe not just Area G, but the whole Columbia Valley, and I think we can work together to make it a better place,” she says.

“I don’t have a specific issue that I’m championing. For me it’s about community and caring about your community and putting yourself forward and being available.”

It’s a similar approach to the one she had as a board trustee — a position Hall says also relies on staying open minded and being available.

“It was always about the big picture,” she says. “When you’re sitting on a board — any board, really — you have to consider everything.”