GuelphToday asked candidates running for council in the Oct. 22 municipal election to provide a short biography and why they are running and/or platform.
THE PERSON: My name is Brendan and I am a third generation Guelphite. I was raised with my three brothers Kieran, Evan and Teagan by my two wonderful parents Paul and Liz in Ward 4. My mom is a teacher here in Guelph, my dad has coached our numerous sports teams, my aunt is a police officer and my Grandpa is a retired teacher, principal, superintendent and chair of the Police Board.
As a Real Estate Agent here in Guelph, I am a staunch advocate for Guelph and what an amazing city it is. I enjoy watching Guelph grow with new developments and sit on the Political Action Committee at the Guelph District Association of Realtors. I was the co-founder of the Real Estate Association at Laurier and started two businesses with my brothers during my time there.
I have captained sports teams in the past and pride myself on my ability to lead by example through humility and making strong decisions. Something my dad has always told me is that great leaders are able to "check their ego at the door" and this has proven true with each new leadership role I have taken. I look forward to bringing this attitude to city hall to voice the concerns of Ward 4 residents and to collaborate with my fellow councillors and mayor over the next four years to ensure Ward 4 residents have the best living conditions in the city.
THE PLATFORM: My promise to you is that a vote for me is a vote to keep taxes low, get value for your tax dollars and to have your voice heard. Looking into the other Ward 4 candidates’ platforms, all I see is the same promises over and over. Every candidate ever has promised things such as being open, transparent and accessible. What I don't see is a plan to keep taxes set to inflation. I promise to spend my first 100 days in office reviewing the city’s books and finding further efficiencies in order to keep the 2019 budget increase maxed out at the rate of inflation while still delivering top quality services you deserve. I will continue to do this every year I am in office and will use feedback from you as to what your wants are vs. what your needs are.
Councillors get paid good money and it is not just to listen to resident’s suggestions. Although that is important, that is the easy part of the job. The much harder part is finding creative solutions in order to keep money in your pockets. To this point, one of our Ward 4 councillors didn't even vote on this year’s budget.
My fellow candidates have platforms that promise the world without any regard to what these additional services will cost. I agree that we need to expand city services but it can’t be with reckless abandon. We already pay some of the highest property taxes in the province. It is not fair that some of our elected councillors continuously vote to keep increasing taxes just because it is easier than actually working to find efficiencies and savings. My background in business, having completed my BBA at Laurier while running multiple of my own businesses as well as running a successful real estate business are all qualifications that prove I am the candidate that will be able to keep your taxes low without compromising on providing top-class services you deserve.
I firmly believe that nothing is perfect and as we grow we need to adapt and change our thinking around some key issues. Growing up I witnessed the west end change drastically with the addition of the West End Rec Centre, Costco, the building up of the Paisley/Elmira High Density Corridor and much more. Over the past four years I have been severely underwhelmed by the progress we seemed to be making here in Ward 4.
I am excited to be running to be the voice of Ward 4 constituents. I understand that by asking for your vote, I am asking you to have the confidence that I will serve you and work for you to ensure that all of your concerns are voiced to my fellow councillors and mayor. I will work extremely hard to make sure that Ward 4 residents have the best living conditions in the city and that any issues that arise are dealt with in a timely and efficient manor. I promise to be available to Ward 4 residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a successful real estate agent I am already attached to my phone so serving you in this way will be no change for me. My job requires me to help people buy their largest asset, a house, while finding compromises to ensure they can stay within their budget. When elected, I will bring this same mindset with me to City Hall.
