First and foremost, I believe we need several years of zero new taxes, or an actual decrease. We need to show prospective residents and businesses that we are fiscally responsible.
We can no longer wait until budget time and realize we need to raise taxes 4-6%to continue to operate the city. Once we’ve proven we are fiscally responsible, it would be wise to cap tax increases with the rate of inflation.
We do not need out-of-control spending with “our” money. Some people in the municipality have seen a 100% tax increase in the last 10 years.
It is not a surprise we’re the only municipality West of Toronto along the 401 that has seen a decrease in population since 2000.
Chatham has the advantage of proximity to both Detroit and Port Huron that no other municipality enjoys, and our current council fails to recognize this as a tool.
Would you support a tax freeze or rollback if it meant reduced staff or services?
I would. However I don’t think there is a need to reduce staff or services with the ridiculous waste we have in this municipality. Over a million dollars a year to fund the Bradley Centre, .4 percent of our budget, 15 million on consultants, 5.7 percent of our budget. These two items if reduced or removed would have led to potential reduction of 4.6 percent this year alone.
Would you support an OPP costing study?
Yes, we’re dealing with taxpayer’s money, it’s our duty to look at any and all ways of reducing spending and keeping service levels the same. The key being to keeping service levels the same, we have to compare apples to apples.
Would you support examining a volunteer-only fire service if the provincial arbitration system isn’t overhauled?
I’d say no. Regardless of the cost, the last thing you want is a decision that could potentially cost lives.
Do you believe we should continue our ongoing efforts to attract economic investment from China?
NO! A complete and utter waste of time and money, China invests in natural resources from Canada. They have a cheap, almost unlimited supply of manpower; it makes no sense to think they’d come to Chatham-Kent.
Would you support contracting municipal services to the private sector if those services can be delivered more efficiently?
I have no idea how to answer this, on one hand you have potential cost savings, on the other you’re destroying the wage rate on certain services. I’m not in favor of creating more minimum wage jobs to line someone else’s pocket, especially if they are not from Chatham-Kent.
Would you support investigating amalgamation of fire/ambulance/police services to reduce costs?
Absolutely, the caveat being that it would not reduce service, response time, or effectiveness.
Would you support a municipal tree-cutting bylaw if it contained incentives for woodlot owners to retain/increase tree cover?
I support the tree-cutting bylaw regardless. We have one of the highest rates of respiratory illnesses in all of Ontario, I doubt highly it’s not linked to the low percentage of tree coverage we currently have. Money isn’t everything when you can’t breathe or be healthy.
Do you believe we need a municipal ombudsman or ethics commissioner such as London and Windsor have added?
I definitely believe in the idea of an ethics commissioner. We’ve seen waste, and suspected misuse of funds repeatedly. It would be nice to have someone who would be on watch to make sure the people in charge of our resources are using them correctly.
Would you consider developing a usage benchmark for municipal offices, arena and libraries and closing those that don’t meet the standards?
For municipal offices yes, for arenas and libraries no, children use arenas and libraries and stunting their physical or mental growth by limiting access is not something I would ever support. Municipal offices however yes, because we live in a digital age, phone, fax, email etc. all provide us with almost instance access to communicate and deliver services.
Do you support development of a community-wide multipurpose recreation centre?
A municipality of Chatham Kent’s size without a double ice surface/recreation centre is a travesty. All you have to do is listen to parents who repeatedly go out of town for tournaments, and their money goes with them. We should be hosting tournaments and encouraging people to travel to Chatham-Kent, filling up our hotels and restaurants, and spending money in our community.
Do you support an adopt-a-park program in which service or volunteer groups assume some maintenance (grass cutting) of some municipal facilities?
Yes and No. No to the grass cutting simply because of liability and also because of the sheer size, we have the equipment to do it quickly, so we should. However having volunteers plant and tend to gardens that beautify parks, and to take care of cleaning up litter to keep the park pristine I’m all for.
Do you support investigating a reduction in the number of municipal councilors?
I’m on the fence; I see it as a positive and a negative. It would be more efficient for decision-making, and it would potentially create a council that could deliver representation by population better. The negative being you’re now limiting the number of people that contribute and have a different point of view, also there are less people to disagree which could lead to some odd decisions being made. Sadly it’s something that could only be determined by trying it.
