I am running for council so I can have an active role in shaping the future of the city for my children and grandchildren. Now that my children are older, I have the opportunity and free time to give back to the community that I love.
If elected, the things I would like to accomplish are; support an in dependent study into the contaminated wells around Chatham-Kent, lobby the province to lower the number of councillors, eliminate all wasteful and unnecessary spending, freeze taxes, reduce crime and fix the crumbling bridges and roads. I believe that with the help of a new council, along with the hard-working employees of Chatham-Kent, we can make the municipality a prosperous and beautiful place to live again.
- 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
If you ask anyone that lives on a side road in Rural Kent, they can tell you how frustrating it is when the city adds gravel to a road (causing dust issues on crops and property) only to have the road full of potholes a week later. This process would then be repeated 6-7 times a year, or more. If we were to spend a little more and fix the road properly, instead of applying a band-aid solution, the road would last years, instead of months. The same theory can go into all roads and bridges in Chatham-Kent.
- Would you support a tax freeze or rollback if it meant reduced staff and/or services?
Yes
I cannot remember a year that my taxes have not increased, at the same time the infrastructure and services in Chatham-Kent have decreased. We need to stop spending money on failed investments (Capital Theater, Rail Line to nowhere, John D. Bradley Center, trips to china etc.) and invest that money into infrastructure and tax savings.
- Would you support shifting some services to the private sector if those services could be done more efficiently that way?
Yes
I believe that any time we can save money we need to look into it, as long as we keep or increase the level of service we are accustomed to. I also believe that by shifting services to the private sector, we can hold the company that supplied the service responsible for any problems that may arise.
- Do you believe we need a municipal ombudsman or ethics commissioner?
Yes
I believe that we need to have someone that holds municipal employees, Council and the Mayor’s office accountable for their actions. It would also serve as a gateway between citizens and government to solve issues in a fair and honest way (water wells etc.) instead of the “that’s just the way it is” mentality the current council has.
- Do you support investigating a reduction in the number of council members?
Yes
Currently Chatham-Kent has a population of around 105,000 and 17 councillors. That equates to around 6,200 constituents per councillor. As a comparison, Windsor has about 21,800 constituents per councillor and London has 27,700 constituents per councillor equating to more than 3 times the constituents per councillor as Chatham-Kent. Besides reducing the number of councillors I also believe that council members and the Mayor should take a minimum 10% cut in pay.
- Should the municipality try to land an Ontario Cannabis Store as soon as possible?
Yes
The provincial government has already stated that Windsor and London will be two of the first 14 cities to open a cannabis store. If Chatham-Kent does not land a store in the near future, residents will take their hard earned money outside of the municipality, causing a loss to local restaurants and stores.
- Should council be more proactive in terms of working with landowners with contaminated wells?
Yes
I believe the municipality has a responsibility to its citizens to have a fully independent study into the issues many residents are having with their groundwater. Simply saying “It is safe to drink” or “We will look into it” is not an appropriate response. Neither is having a study done by the turbine companies or the government that made the mistake of allowing the pile driving to occur.
- Some critics say the municipal building department is an impediment to development in C-K. Do you agree?
Yes
I have heard many issues local businesses and farmers have had with the many requirements needed to obtain a building permit. We need to start making it easier to operate in Chatham-Kent instead of finding new reasons for businesses to choose another city.
- Do you believe Chatham needs a new twin-pad arena?
Yes
I believe that although the Municipality could benefit from a new twin-pad arena, we need to look outside of municipal tax dollars for funding. The municipality needs to focus on upgrading all of the existing arenas around Chatham-Kent as make the arenas more accessible and affordable for everyone.
- Should the municipality cut back on its expenditures for overseas economic development efforts?
Yes
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on overseas trips with little or no benefit coming from them. It is time to put an end to any expenditure that does not produce a benefit to the citizens of Chatham-Kent.
- Should municipal councillors ever be forced to go the Freedom of Information route when seeking municipal information?
No
It is impossible to govern without all of the appropriate information. I believe that all municipal information should be available to everyone through the Chatham-Kent website. If I was looking to open a business in Chatham-Kent and see councillors being forced to go through hoops to get information, I could only imagine how hard it would be to get the information needed for my business.
- Should members of the public have more access to municipal information without having to resort to an FOI?
Yes
Members of the public pay the wages of all municipal employees in Chatham-Kent and as such should have free access to information regarding how their money is spent. If information was posted on the municipal website, in an easy to read and navigate format, there would never be a need for the citizens to resort to an FOI.
