1 – My reasoning for seeking election to the council is to further my involvement in the community and to help represent the people at the municipal level with their issues and concerns. After serving many years with various community groups, I believe that with this experience I can better contribute to my community by obtaining a position on the Whitewater Region council.
As an example, I did serve over 22 years with the OPP auxiliary unit, and feel that I have a vast knowledge in the community policing and the OPP structure. This is an experience that I would like to offer the council to help with the navigating the OPP organization, in order to obtain the best possible outcome for Whitewater Region ratepayers.
2 As I understand the role of the councillor is to bring the issues and concerns of the rate payers to council chambers for resolution. As a councillor, the public should be encouraged to attend council meetings and ask questions. I realize this is a deviation from the current system as they have ensured the public is kept at a distance from council but this lack transparency has caused some serious concerns. This is why I believe that the councillor role should be heavily weighted in the communication between the people and the local government.
3 community involvement:
– Business owner
– President of the Cobden and District Civitan club
– Vice president of the Renfrew chapter of the Ontario Landowners
– Treasurer of the Cobden Fire Association
– Treasurer of the Muskrat Lake Association
– Member of the Whitewater Region Fire department – Cobden station
– Retired member of the OPP auxiliary – Unit Commander
4 Skills that I believe are assets are problem solving, analyzing issues, communication, and social community involvement. I believe I developed these skills over many years, through owning and operating a small business, as well as volunteering for many community groups. This has given me a wide range of experiences and taught me that having solid core foundation you can resolve any problem(s).
5 top priorities for council
– Balance the budget by focusing on the municipality spending and reallocate resources.
– Maintain our road infrastructure through better future planning and preparing long term goals.
– Increase public participation in council decisions. This would empower the people so that they are gaining knowledge about the system, this system needs to be transparent and accountable.
7 I believe the best strategy for road repair and maintenance would be better long term planning and identifying areas of concerns in a timely manner before it gets out of control. The benefit of long term planning is to ultimately reduce the overall cost by mitigating minor problems before they become major costly issues. This is why we have moved from the current reactive program, and moved to a proactive role in the future. This is the only way to maintain the infrastructure.
8 All roads must be constructed to Ministry of Transportation regulations and guidelines and standards, but steps could be taken to ensure agriculture input during the planning / construction process.
10 Agriculture is a huge economic boost to the local economy. This system is dependent upon multiple small business owners such as farmers, as the local farmer would use local businesses which will create jobs. The council can further assist by encouraging farm gate sales which would allow better access to local food and products. This could potentially draw in more tourism as there is a desire in the cities for locally grown fresh products.
14 This issue I believe is a management issue as the council should be instrumental in bringing the region together so they are as one. This will be accomplished by community involvement and strong leadership, and future planning
15 Council needs to promote strong education messages to all levels of society, including government, that water is our future and it must be protected, example best known methods, boat wash stations, technology ideas, etc
16 I believe this could have a huge economic impact to our area in drawing in tourism. This in turn would lead to more job opportunities for local people and especially the youth, plus increase Whitewater’s image and profile on the national stage. This is something that is not a new idea as Quebec has had these type of trails for years, so experience is available regarding this type of trail system. Another benefit could be feeding into the new Trans Canada Trail system which is currently bypassing the region. This can be accomplished by partnering up with various community groups and other organizations.
