I am running to put a stop to the bad decision making, waste, and a lack of proper oversight. I want to bring transparency, accountability, and prosperity back to C-K.
I want the people to actually have a voice and be heard, not just placated. I want to make sure things like the Keil St Bridge, 5th St bridge, 3rd St. bridge, the railroad, the industrial park, the condo on King St., and the decimation of the once beautiful Tecumseh Park do not happen again. It is time for change. FB @ Les Banks for council or I can be reached at ljbanks37@hotmail.com
- 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, I do support increased funding, but I feel we should be exploring any and all funding available from both the provincial and federal government. In addition, I feel for the 3rd St bridge we should be replacing instead of a fix that in my opinion wastes taxpayers’ dollars. I believe that it was known this bridge would need to be replaced and it was put off. I do not believe it could have gotten to such a state without engineering knowing about it. Going forward we need more common sense approaches and proper planning.
- Would you support a tax freeze or rollback if it meant reduced staff and/or services?
Yes I do support a tax freeze, but not necessarily reduced staff or service cuts. I believe we need to look at the usage of all programs to see if they are still feasible for what they cost. I also believe CK needs to properly plan, and live within its means. In just over a year Mpac will be assessing properties again, and thanks to housing bubble, property owners will see the value of their house increase immensely. This will lead to a huge increase in property tax. Council needs to adjust for this as a majority of people can not afford $1000+ more in taxes each year
- Would you support shifting some services to the private sector if those services could be done more efficiently that way?
Yes, it would have to be looked at, in a case by case format. Many services are already private such as recycling, waste management, our water and hydro, grass cutting etc. I do not want to put anyone out of a job, but ultimately my loyalty would be with the taxpayers, and that may mean privatizing more services.
- Do you believe we need a municipal ombudsman or ethics commissioner?
I certainly believe the province should have a municipal Ombudsman to act when a council or municipality has a valid complaint against it. There needs to be impartiality. An ethics commissioner is a good idea but I would need more information on cost, what powers they would have etc.
- Do you support investigating a reduction in the number of council members?
Yes. Absolutely I support a reduction in the number of councilors, if other huge cities can get by on less than CK, that speaks volumes. The more people in charge the harder it is to get things accomplished at times. If elected councilors have just as much responsibility to the other wards as they do their own, we are all one community and we should be representing everyone. I also believe it should be a full-time position, working a minimum of 40 hrs/week. Council should know the majority of day to day operations of the municipality so they can make the best decisions, and not just defer to staff or advisement firms.
- Should the municipality try to land an Ontario Cannabis Store as soon as possible?
No. Since cannabis sales will be open to the private sector I would advise against it, as it would just be another tax expense. It will be available online as well as from private stores so it does not seem profitable enough to justify a CK run store.
- Should council be more proactive in terms of working with landowners with contaminated wells?
Yes. This is a must, and in the case of water well contamination due to wind farms, a private study should be conducted by the municipality, and act accordingly based on the results. A freeze on any further construction should be put into effect until it can be proven one way or the other, by an independent study.
- Some critics say the municipal building department is an impediment to development in C-K. Do you agree?
Yes I believe we should remove roadblocks and red tape when it comes to building, but at the same time it has to be beneficial to the community and its planning as well as be safe. If a proposed building is being suggested in a residential area, that community should be part of the decision-making process. I believe all departments need oversight, transparency, and accountability. We need to eliminate bureaucracy, red tape, waste and bad decision making across the board. No more defunct railroads, or poorly thought out bridges.
- Do you believe Chatham needs a new twin-pad arena?
Yes I feel a twin pad arena could be a great thing, and offers some great opportunities to the community. Having said that there are a number of projects that would be beneficial to the community. The proposed site would cost millions to purchase, and millions more for environmental cleanup. I would like to see a public indoor pool, more splash pads, a proper teen center, an expansion to the ALC , outdoor rinks for ball hockey, that could be used for free skates in winter as well. We must properly plan and have a balanced approach for such projects. After all you don’t go buy a boat when you roof is leaking.
- Should the municipality cut back on its expenditures for overseas economic development efforts?
No I feel the municipality should end overseas economic development, there are more places such as the GTA or the US that have opportunities much closer to home and would likely produce better results
- Should municipal councillors ever be forced to go the Freedom of Information route when seeking municipal information?
No the information should be available to all councilors, and in fact the entire budget, all of the municipalities expenses and incomes should be available on the CK portal. It should be listed line item by line item.
- Should members of the public have more access to municipal information without having to resort to an FOI?
Yes So long as the information is not of a private or confidential reason, access should be available to all the citizens of CK. If information is deemed private or confidential a reason as to why it is deemed such should be given.
