Transparency
Transparency is more than just a buzz word, it means that you are inviting residents to be aware of what is happening at Town Hall. It promotes truthful, open and honest conduct.
For me it means, earning your trust by being visible and open to scrutiny.
I will happily explain my decisions and make myself available to listen to everyone.
The Beachfront
Whether you go to the Beachfront or not, what happens there will impact you. Sure, condos are a suitable part of the future, but too many units will make the area inaccessible to many tourists and residents alike. I believe in keeping the tourism activities centralized to the main end, in order to keep it fun, but also manageable for policing and safety.
My vision for the Beachfront is a place that residents are proud of and actually want to enjoy. A true year-round destination for shopping, dining and playing.
I would like to see a clean and safe centerpiece of our town that promotes a sustainable economy and job creation.
Your Taxes
Affordable living is what attracts many people to live in Wasaga Beach. Reasonable property taxes are an important part of that. To keep taxes low, we need to have a council that is truly elected to represent the needs of the community. Political infighting has contributed to wasteful spending over the last 8 years.
Poor management of the main end properties, along with the development and destruction of the Main Street Market, have been expensive for taxpayers.
It is inevitable that the next term of council will have to make decisions on the future of Beach Drive and how to properly develop the town owned properties. I firmly believe in holding the developers financially responsible, rather than the town spending more tax dollars.
My Style
I am a Senior Manager in a large food manufacturing company and am fortunate enough to work from home. Kim and I and our three daughters have enjoyed living in Wasaga Beach for many years. Like many families in our town, we still have school aged kids at home, our youngest is about to enter grade 9 in Collingwood.
I strongly believe that community leaders need to be great communicators who respect the opinions of their constituents, even if they don't always agree. I look forward to having great debates with other members of council that lead to doing what's best for the community.
Services
Parks, sidewalks, schools and other amenities are services that I feel need to be addressed. If elected, I would like to revisit attracting a permanent walk-in or urgent care clinic. Since COVID, we have learned how important it is for both healthcare and mental health services to be accessible within the community. I will advocate for these to be Council priorities for the coming term.