GuelphToday asked those running for city council in the Oct. 22 municipal election to supply a brief biography and outline their platform and/or why they are running.
THE PERSON: I believe that Guelph is one of the best places to live in Canada. As a two-term city councillor, I enjoy finding creative solutions to everyday problems we all face while helping to build a vision for our city that leverages the values and unique culture that defines us as a community.
My professional experience includes 15 years of creative design and planning as a landscape architect built upon a diverse business foundation spanning grassroots start‐ups to formal board governance, from bicycles to cemeteries, food security to youth leadership programs.
I have a Masters in planning from the University of Guelph and I am working toward certification as a Chartered Director at the Degroote Business School at McMaster University.
I have the ability to understand people and situations intuitively and generally to grasp things quickly and with great depth. I am an excellent listener have a knack for finding the right words at the right time to communicate in a clear and confident manner.
I raised my family in Guelph, I continue to live and work in Ward 4, and I even have a plot waiting for me at the Woodlawn Cemetery (although I don’t plan on moving there for a very long time).
My complete professional biography including education and experience can be found online at www.linkedin.com/in/earthartist/
THE PLATFORM: The year was 2006. Newspaper articles and YouTube videos featured politicians with bloated egos bickering over petty personal differences. I was disgusted with their behaviour and I knew Guelph deserved better.
When I was elected, I served my community with humility, open mindedness, and a willingness to seek consensus. This simple change in values significantly improved the effectiveness of city hall the following term.
Going forward, the complexity of issues facing our City has grown significantly. There are serious threats to affordability and quality of life for our citizens. We need both fiscal restraint, as well as an inspiring vision for Guelph to attract and retain businesses and skilled workers in the new economy.
We’ve accomplished some significant financial improvements over the last term including maintaining an AA+ credit rating, year‐over‐year declining tax rate increases, improving our reserve fund balances, identifying efficiencies through detailed service reviews and significantly paying down our debt, however, there’s more work to do:
• Ensure that services meet the needs of citizens and provide the best value for the taxes paid.
• Develop financing mechanisms to make home ownership a reality for more people.
• Continue to close the infrastructure gap to avoid costly emergency repairs down the road
I firmly believe that economic development and affordability have as much to do with the ’quality of life’ in our city as it does with solid economic and taxation policy. Businesses, families, professionals and entrepreneurs often choose Guelph because of the natural beauty, community culture, arts, entertainment, and social supports to be found in our community.
One of the most significant cultural and economic initiatives from last term was launching the redevelopment of the Baker Street District including the Guelph Main Library after decades of indecision and missteps
This $300 million development opportunity will result in significant private sector investment, the creation of additional housing, commercial development, institutional, educational and green space all the while maintaining and protecting the character of our city. This redevelopment proposal is bold, visionary, and backed up by a strong business case.
Some of my other priorities for next term:
• Build upon our water protection and conservation efforts to safeguard our water resources
• Manage growth so that we can meet our intensification targets while preserving our unique identity
• Ensure community safety with creative solutions to the contributing social issues, not simply more enforcement and larger police budgets
• Continue to advocate for the vibrant arts scene that has put Guelph on the map
There are also numerous objectives I want to accomplish for Ward 4 residents during the next term of council including transit improvements in the west end and better links between Ward 4 and the rest of Guelph with safe trail and pedestrian connections.
Finally, I believe public office is an opportunity to serve. For me, this involves being approachable and accessible to constituents, and being accountable and advocating for your needs at City Hall.
There’s more work to do to make sure every voice counts in Guelph:
• Champion electoral reform at the municipal level such as proportional representation or exploring a ranked ballot system
• Bring back online voting once security issues have been resolved
I believe that my balanced perspective helps contribute to better decisions at City Hall and that we should expect and accept nothing less than collaboration, integrity, and open mindedness from our elected officials. It is my honour to ask for your support to represent you for another term at City Hall.
I invite you to my webpage www.ward4guelph.ca and you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube – ward4guelph
