I’m running for council because I believe in our community. I believe in our clubs and service providers, our volunteer groups, our school families, businesses, and community parks and spaces.
I think that individually, and collectively, we all have goals and aspirations about what we want for our town, family, business, etc. We want to be proud of where we live, and for our children and grandchildren to be proud of the place they call home.
To achieve our goals, we need strong, vocal, collaborative councillors, and I believe I have the skills, drive, and experience to get us there.
I want to be a councillor that pushes the envelope, challenges the status quo, and helps us to create a community we can continue to be proud of.
- Do you support increasing funding for infrastructure given the fact several culverts and bridges – including the Third Street Bridge – have had emergency issues and closures recently?
YES.
More than increasing funding, we need to be more proactive, and plan for end of life in our infrastructure. We have bridges and culverts all over the municipality that have been closed for too long, and we need to have a plan in place so we can be proactive about repairs, and plan for replacements.
- Would you support a tax freeze or rollback if it meant reduced staff and/or services?
No.
Our community deserves the best service possible, and I think sacrificing those services would be a poor investment in our communities. What I do think is needed is a service review. The next council needs to take a close look at each department service offering, and ask if that department provides value to our tax payers, businesses, and communities overall. That could allow us to find efficiencies and reallocate resources to better use our tax dollars. The extent of those efficiencies, alongside community priorities, would then determine the status of tax rates for future budgets.
- Would you support shifting some services to the private sector if those services could be done more efficiently that way?
Yes.
As a council, we should always be looking for more efficiencies, and better ways to provide services to our community. If the private sector can do it better, faster, and cheaper, I believe that is an option to consider. If done right, and the contract is managed properly, this is a viable option to better leverage tax dollars.
- Do you believe we need a municipal ombudsman or ethics commissioner?
Yes.
The current council has an integrity commissioner, and I think that could be enhanced. The community needs a clear process to reference when they have concerns or issues, and they need reassurance that CK staff have a process to follow as well.
- Do you support investigating a reduction in the number of council members?
Yes.
I support a strong representation on council for rural communities. That said, we need to find a way to do things more effectively on council, and to move away from a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” mentality for those who represent the rural communities, and that means investigating other alternatives, looking at council composition in other, similar communities, and considering our own community values. You don’t know what you don’t know. If elected to council, I will always commit to hearing more information and looking at alternatives. Not just for this issue, but any issue.
- Should the municipality try to land an Ontario Cannabis Store as soon as possible?
Yes.
If the province is asking municipalities to ‘opt-in’ or ‘opt-out’ of this, ‘opting out’ means CK could be left out. The federal government legalizes it, the province is in charge of the high level regulation (for both business, and community safety), and the municipalities will need to decide how to enact on that regulation. Saying “no” to cannabis stores, while our neighboring communities say “yes” puts us at risk. It means we “opt-out” of being a stakeholder in providing feedback on the roll out. It means our citizens would have to go elsewhere to buy it, and ultimately spend their money out of town. It also means lost revenue in local licensing fees and tax generation. Community safety, and public health is another important conversation about cannabis, and that conversation needs to take place regardless of whether or not we have storefronts at CK.
- Should council be more proactive in terms of working with landowners with contaminated wells?
Yes.
Council needs to be more proactive in listening to any concerns had by its citizens. With respect and appreciation for jurisdictional divisions of politics, we have to recognize that our elected officials are the first point of contact for day to day issues of the residents in Chatham-Kent. Part of our job is to advocate for those citizens groups to other levels of government, even if it falls outside of the scope of municipal ownership. Overall, across multiple issues, there is an opportunity to improve in this area.
- Some critics say the municipal building department is an impediment to development in C-K. Do you agree?
Yes.
I don’t necessarily believe the existence of the building department, or even the individuals who work within the building department are an impediment to development, but rather, the culture, and processes used within the department are the issue. We need improvement, so that our residents and businesses feel empowered, enabled, and supported when expanding their footprint.
- Do you believe Chatham needs a new twin-pad arena?
Yes.
I have consulted local hockey and figure skating groups in my area about this question, and after learning about the issue more, agree that the current arenas in Chatham are at end of life and need to be replaced. I support the replacement of end of life arenas in any community, as long as that doesn’t impact the arenas in other communities. The challenge with the arena will be with the size. Size matters. Chatham-Kent needs an arena that we can afford to build, and afford to operate in the long term.
- Should the municipality cut back on its expenditures for overseas economic development efforts?
Yes.
Based on the report provided, I don’t believe the value for dollar is there for these initiatives. I think there are a number of local businesses that deserve attention and investment that are growing, and more focus needs to be on supporting local growth, keeping businesses here. We also have well connected business owners locally, that are strong advocates for our community. That isn’t to say we shouldn’t look to international economic development, but that we should better leverage the province and federal government in this area.
- Should municipal councillors ever be forced to go the Freedom of Information route when seeking municipal information?
No.
Unless there is legislation barring even represented officials from accessing information, I believe that municipal councilors should never have to go through the FOI process when seeking municipal information for decision making purposes.
- Should members of the public have more access to municipal information without having to resort to an FOI?
Yes.
Increased transparency, accountability, and access to information are essential for establishing vibrant, progressive communities. This can start with how information is shared. We need to improve our communication tools – like our website, and the way reports are published online. We also need clear processes for how information is shared. I think we can learn from other communities, and leverage best practices to implement these processes.
