Good evening Madam Chair, fellow candidates, and residents of
My approach is straightforward – be responsive to the needs of all taxpayers, and make fully informed, responsible decisions which benefit our Township.
I have demonstrated this approach over the last three years as Councillor, and in my committee positions:
- I developed a comprehensive plan for the Community Policing Committee, recruited new members including two from the youth committee, and worked with the OPP to have three members trained as facilitators in the Youth Alternative Justice Program
- I initiated the process for the Township Strategic Plan and Capital Forecast
- I ensured funding support for the Kitchen & Stitching program for
- I lobbied to modify the property assessment system, speaking at 2 press conferences and to the Minister of Finance, which contributed to the assessment freeze in June of this year
- I initiated the process for the Anstruther waste transfer site to handle large items like sofas and mattresses, and construction materials.
- I championed improvements to the Medical Centre layout
- I identified ways for broadband internet to reach all areas of the township, with appropriate tower location and improved technology
With the experience I’ve gained on Council, I am proposing three priorities for our community:
Priority # 1 - Develop a Strategic Plan which looks ahead at least 5 years, which has input from the whole community, and which everyone can buy in to. This means making choices to deal with reality. Using a proven process, it’s not difficult or time consuming to do. I’ve found that if you don’t know where you’re going, you probably won’t get there.
Priority # 2 - Form an Economic Development Committee, reporting to Council. This will ensure continued support and participation from Council in building the township. I propose recruiting interested and knowledgeable taxpayers to be part of the committee….THAT is what I meant by “influential” in my brochure. Using the methods of Business Retention and Expansion, the committee would identify our strengths and build on them, while identifying barriers to growth and ways to eliminate them.
Priority # 3 - Look carefully at how well we deliver the services we provide. This means finding out how satisfied you are with what the Township does – good old customer service. It means controlling costs by doing jobs in the best possible way. It means setting budgets by controlling dollar increases as much as % increases. A 5% change in the Library is $3K, but a 5% change in roads is $50K. By the way, this will work very well at the County level.
I expect that garbage and recycle pickup on private roads will be a first candidate for service review. We do well on the public roads and streets in Apsley, but many of our seasonal residents have told me that we do not provide acceptable service on private roads. On top of that I predict a huge cost increase when the pickup contract is re-tendered for July, 2007. I have some ideas about how to change a high cost, low quality service so that it meets your needs while saving a
Why do I think these priorities are appropriate for our township? I have extensive senior management and Board experience, which is directly applicable to my council responsibilities. This experience tells me that we have to plan our future, and run our affairs so as to be able to pay for it. I have talked to people in all parts of
My responsibility is to
I will bring new energy to the position of Deputy Reeve, and I believe that I can help
Wrap-up
I make the same promise to you that I made at front doors all summer
- listen to and respond to your concerns,
- propose appropriate solutions, and
- make responsible decisions for the long term
To review my platform, I have focused on 3 main priorities:
# 1 – Develop a Strategic Plan which looks ahead at least 5 years, which has input from the whole community, and which everyone can buy in to. Notice that I am specifying 5 years…that is longer than our term….I want to make sure we act for the Township and not for political gain
# 2 – Create an Economic Development Committee, formed from Council members and interested and knowledgeable taxpayers
# 3 – Determine how well the Township delivers its services to you, and ensure we do it efficiently.
The committee structure we adopt should be efficient, not require doing things twice, and focus on real results. An appropriate committee structure makes for good decisions, it gets people involved in the municipal process, and it helps develop future Council members - a pretty healthy process in my view.
I will bring new energy to the position of Deputy Reeve, and I believe that I can help