I have a business degree from Wilfred Laurier University and a Chartered Accountant designation. I am currently employed at Union Gas as director, planning and forecasting.
I have extensive community leadership roles including chair of Entegrus Inc. and audit chair of Mainstreet Credit Union. I have spearheaded successful fundraising events such as The Festival of Giving, The Amazing Race Chatham-Kent and children’s concert series on behalf of local charities. These roles have provided important insights into the needs and the opportunities that exist in our community.
I am committed to working within council to ensure there is a dynamic vision for Chatham-Kent, one that extends beyond the next four years and is equally attractive to both business and families.
Would you support a tax freeze or rollback if it meant reduced staff or services? Yes – Looking at new ways of doing things is imperative. The benefits always need to be balanced with the impacts to ensure sound decisions are made.
Would you support an OPP costing study? Yes – provided the cost of the study and transition costs do not outweigh the supposed benefits of the review and other similar communities that have undertaken comparisons have found that savings may exist.
Would you support examining a volunteer-only fire service if the provincial arbitration system isn’t overhauled? No – but the cost of emergency services must be addressed if the budget is to be kept in check.
Do you believe we should continue our ongoing efforts to attract economic investment from China? Yes – accessing various national and international markets, not just China, is an important aspect of any competent economic development strategy.
Would you support contracting municipal services to the private sector if those services can be delivered more efficiently? Yes – provided the savings can be substantiated over the long term similar to the many basic services that are currently contracted out in Chatham-Kent.
Would you support investigating amalgamation of fire/ambulance/police services to reduce costs? Yes – especially if proper cross training initiatives provide improved services at a reduced cost.
Would you support a municipal tree-cutting bylaw if it contained incentives for woodlot owners to retain/increase tree cover? Yes – provided it is part of a long-term forest preservation strategy that has general consensus from rural and urban residents.
Do you believe we need a municipal ombudsman or ethics commissioner such as London and Windsor have added? No.
Would you consider developing a usage benchmark for municipal offices, arena and libraries and closing those that don’t meet the standards? Yes – but reaching benchmarks would only be one of many issues that should be considered when determining support for all municipal services.
Do you support development of a community-wide multipurpose recreation centre? Yes – it should be an integral part of our long-term recreation strategy to support health and wellness, youth engagement and retention, and encourage family-first activities.
Do you support an adopt-a-park program in which service or volunteer groups assume some maintenance (grass cutting) of some municipal facilities?
Yes – I’m surprised this initiative hasn’t been introduced previously.
Do you support investigating a reduction in the number of municipal councillors? Yes – the current structure often continues to accentuate the rural/urban divide and is somewhat unwieldy, with too many ‘camps’ unable to see the need for collaboration to benefit the municipality as a whole.
Priorities
A thriving community has a certain dynamic that is attractive to both families and business, something that makes them want to invest in its future. Councillors should possess the ability to conceptualize and propose policies that take into account not only our immediate needs, but which also set the stage for decades into the future. Council’s priorities should be to:
Make decisions that are thoroughly investigated, planned, evaluated and controlled with the long-term vision in mind. Too often decisions have been made with the emphasis on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of an initiative rather than determining the more important element – ‘why are we doing this’.
Limit tax increases that stifle our competitiveness in attracting and retaining businesses and related employment and create hardship for some of our families. Municipal operations should be continuously investigated to ensure they are necessary, effective, efficient and sustainable.
Support economic development initiatives that search out market and investment opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. The global arena is a very competitive marketplace. We cannot afford to stay at home and expect that investors will come knocking at our door.
Provide exemplary infrastructure to support and attract industry and business.
Limit regulatory roadblocks that stifle the entrepreneurial spirit that can help make a community great. Allow people who have ideas, both big and small, and the energy, a certain freedom to follow their vision.
Develop exemplary recreational and arts related facilities. A multi-use facility, built and operated through a public/private partnership, would be a great next step.
Continually lobby senior levels of government to ensure Chatham-Kent shows up on their radar screens at budget time. It is important that administration and council ensure that Chatham-Kent be given fair consideration for funds earmarked for municipalities.
Kick start revitalization of downtown Chatham in partnership with our core business partners. Let’s share their vision of making our downtown a showplace that all Chatham-Kent citizens view as an indispensable asset that must be celebrated and protected.
Emphasize the importance, in conjunction with community partners, of introducing and maintaining programs that attract, retain, engage and develop the skills and abilities of our youth.
Encourage new ideas and new ways of doing things. This is how great communities are built
Chatham-Kent is poised to accomplish great things. Council should focus on creating a community in which all residents are proud of and feel welcomed and engaged in. As a councillor, I will be committed to providing the proactive, visionary and collaborative leadership to help make this happen. I believe that my education, business experience and history of community service uniquely qualify me to take up this challenge.
Please visit www.dcanniff.com for a more thorough examination of my background and experience.
