There is nothing more important than to listen and respond to resident issues. Residents in Woolwich are my number one priority on the job. I will continue to be a strong resident advocate here and at The Region.

A Woolwich for Everyone ... includes everyone. We can't just say we are an inclusive, welcoming community. We must be an inclusive, welcoming community.  I am committed to supporting the installation of rainbow crosswalks in our communities. I am committed to supporting inclusivity and diversity training for Council and staff. I am committed to creating an official committee of council to promote inclusivity and diversity throughout Woolwich Township.

It is a very difficult to find meaningful employment for those with intellectual and physical disabilities. I would like to work with EDACL and other organizations devoted to working with disabled people to find and create opportunities for work within our communities. I will make those connections and work with township staff to make sure we are being inclusive of with people of all abilities.

I have taken a keen interest in community building and planning since becoming a member of Council. I have advocated to start the conversation about a plan to re-imagine a downtown core that is more inviting as a place for residents to congregate. The municipality needs to invest in our downtowns if we want to create great spaces for residents and attract the types of businesses that contribute to a thriving economy. That downtown planning is underway, and regional reconstruction will happen in 2025.

Woolwich Township is a growth community. The core settlement areas of Elmira and Breslau will see significant additional growth. Managing growth shouldn't come at the expense of current resident needs and losing connection to a sense of community. I will start the conversation on how as a township, we can create opportunities to maintain and build our sense of community and additionally make new residents feel welcome and included.

If we want to know what young people want from their community, we have to ask them to be part of the process. Engaging youth with meaningful input and ownership in projects will show them what it means to be apart of a healthy community. I will create an engagement strategy to include youth in the decision-making process.

I have been leading the charge on Council to find ways to reduce the municipalities carbon footprint. I supported declaring a Climate Emergency, a special tax levy dedicated to greening projects, and have been providing support for the Trees for Woolwich Tree Reserve. Currently, the WMC is undergoing a study to reduce our energy needs to operate. Woolwich retrofitted our street lights with LED fixtures.  I'd like to see more of our municipal infrastructures utilizing green energy options. Green also means trees — more is better for all of us. I support the TWEEC led Elmira Greening Strategy and is being applied in our current planning. 

There has been an incredible amount of time, effort and money spent on the on-going water clean-up effort in Elmira. After thirty years we are at a point where it has been widely accepted that the groundwater in Elmira will never be suitable for consumption. While the current pump-and-treat solutions will remain in perpetuity, there is still a great deal of work to be done cleaning up contaminated soils around the plant and along the Canagagigue Creek. The hotspots along the creek pose risks to animal habitats, people and water sources downstream. As Mayor, I will be supporting the effort to push for a complete cleanup of all public lands that have been contaminated by industry. Woolwich will also need to address the issue of compensation for our loss of our water source now and in the future. I will start that conversation.

Proper oversight means asking questions and debating the merits of new spending. I will continue to ask questions and appraise all new spending. Municipal funding from the province continues to decrease, our liabilities to operate increase and infrastructure renewal is growing more expensive. All public money spending needs justification.

There is a lot to learn about municipal politics and a healthy does of self-education is just part of the job. I have participated in advocating at the region and met with ministers at the province to advance our priorities. I see this as a current weak spot for our municipality and our needs are largely being ignored. Local issues don't often get resolved by quietly "working in the background". I have been building relationships at the Region and Province so that I can hit the ground running in advancing Woolwich priorities when elected Mayor.

I lead and organized a multi-day event called Somebody Should Do Something with Woolwich Healthy Communities. The event featured author and public speaker, Doug Griffiths who spoke to the community about the 13 Ways to Kill A Community. The live event was also broadcast on Rogers TV. The outcome for WHC meant new volunteers and groups that would focus on community priorities.

I have been an active volunteer with WHC and participated in Run for Office, a virtual event to encourage residents to become candidates in the 2022 election.

I have also been working with the group that just opened the Woolwich Guest House for Ukrainian Refugees in St. Jacobs. It has been a very rewarding relationship to work with such an amazing group of people.

I was instrumental in reviving our Heritage Committee, taking on a Co-Chair position, recruiting new people and facilitating sessions to re-envision our purpose and set goals. The goal is to designate more significant properties in the township, create historical walking tours, create a self-driving ghost town tour. A new area on the website dedicated to heritage will continue to highlight our work.

Making sure that planning and zoning laws are consistent across the township is paramount to insuring integrity and fairness in the process. Our bylaws are being enforced insuring that commercial operations are all working within the same framework.

I have been leading the charge with climate change initiatives for the Township. The annual .5% greening levy has provided the municipality with resources to help mitigate our impacts. I have supported policies and programs and committed the township to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. More funds for tree-planting, improved environmental standards in new subdivisions, policies to transition vehicle fleet to EV and a forward-looking approach. There is much more to do.

The foundation for decision-making uses supportable evidence, facts and responds to community needs. I offer residence consistency and equity in my approach.  

Local government is in the customer service business and it has improved because of service standards that I led the charge on implementing.

The budget is more transparent and provides better understanding of how public money is spent now then when I started in 2014. This is an on-going process which will improve again as we modernize or systems. 

Efforts to increase revenue at the Woolwich Memorial Centre included a citizen task force that I chaired to identify efficiencies and new revenue. 

Parkland is better protected after I authored, advocated and successfully passed a new bylaw strengthening protections of parkland and public open space.

Staffing levels and job descriptions were investigated in my first year on the job. Since then, staffing has increased significantly. The township has been growing and responding to new initiatives/reporting required by the province. Staff positions are vetted through Council to justify additional spending.