Karen Alexander

I was born and brought up in Upminster, Essex, where I lived until 1986, the year I met my husband – Mark. We first moved to Hackney, and then in 1996 moved to the Harringay Ladder. From the moment I moved to London I loved it, and having spent over half my life here I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. No where else offers the cultural, racial, social and ethnic diversity of London and this is especially true of Harringay.

As a borough it has so much to offer – lots of lovely green spaces,  historical buildings (such as the wonderful Alexandra Palace) and lovely restaurants. It is a place that is rich in culture and history. The pride of standing in front of Alexandra Palace on a sunny day and looking at the city in the distance can’t be underestimated – it is just the most fantastic feeling.

I thought this from the moment I moved here but as time moved on I realised that it could be so much better. Complaining about things wasn’t realistically going to achieve anything, so in 2005 I decided to run for Haringey Council.

In the months that followed, David Schmitz and I took on the daunting task of winning Lib Dem seats in a Harringay ward for years dominated by the Labour party. It was a massive challenge but in May 2006 we won two libdem seats here. Unfortunately David wasn’t one of them but my ward colleague, Carolyn Baker and I have worked tirelessly, with David, and more recently Chris Ford, at our side, to make Harringay a better place for all of us.

A little bit more about me. I am married and have two young children. I work for two days per week for a law firm in the city. I am a keen photographer and I enjoy history, especially local history. I am energetic, enthusiastic and will continue to work tirelessly for the ward. Indeed, as a resident myself I of course have a vested interest in making it the most fantastic place to live – a place where people want to move to and more importantly, a place where people want to stay. Living here on the Ladder means that I know exactly what issues we face in our ward.

During the past four years as a council member I have sat on the Planning Committee and was opposition lead member on the Overview & Scrutiny Committee last year.  I currently sit on the General Purposes Committee and Corporate Parenting Committee and manage local authority school governor recruitment for the Libdems. At a ward level I am a member of the Green Lanes Strategy Group and the Police Ward Panel.  I also regularly attend the Ladder Community Safety Partnership.

In addition to my council commitments I am also on the temporary governing board for the new school in Wood Green, Heartlands High School.

David Schmitz

As a long-term Ladder resident and as the somewhat mature father of a young family, I have become increasingly interested in issues which affect our community.

This has led me to become a governor of the South Harringay Junior School, and a member of the Ladder Community Safety Partnership and the Tottenham Civic Society. It has also led me to work closely with Harringay Ward Councillors Carolyn Baker and Karen Alexander.I am the Lib Dem prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Tottenham and am also a prospective candidate for election to Haringey Council from Harringay Ward. As a practising barrister I have on occasion given legal help to various community groups.

Anyone wishing to know more about my political work is welcome to visit my website at www.davidschmitz.org.uk