That’s it. It is over for another four years and boy does it go fast!
I want to thank my family and friends who all contributed so much to my campaign this year. Without your love and support, I could not have accomplished as much as I did this election. Overall, I think that this was a great experience and I had a wonderful time. Meeting so many new people and getting a chance to talk to them one on one is something that I loved. And there was no shortage of conversation for the past months.
I ran on being a fresh voice and someone who would bridge the communication gap between Kitchener residents and city hall. Well, I was not elected this time, but I intend to keep my promise to Ward 9 citizens and the people of Kitchener. In December, Kitchener will have a mayor and 10 council members (4 new) whose job it is to be there for Kitchener. I intend to do what I can to make sure that they are.
In my introduction for the Ward 9 Candidates Debate on Rogers (October 18th) I outlined a few things that I see as very important to the next council over the coming term:
- Communication with residents
- Fostering and maintaining economic growth
- and working to ensure that Kitchener is a safe and livable city
Along with this, I believe that council needs to bring more fiscal accountability and transparency. The people of Kitchener who pay for city services and initiatives have every right to know where their money goes and why. The time of sales pitches are over, and soon it will be time to see some action.
The subject of amalgamation was big this election with the referendum question on the ballot. The residents of Waterloo were quite clear in saying that they did not want to even talk about the subject. Personally, that is fine with me. I was quite vocal in saying that I didn’t think a merger is need. However I do hope that the respective councils of Waterloo and Kitchener have the good sense to cooperate with each other to come up with cost-saving measures and plans to improve efficiency between Kitchener and Waterloo’s common services.
On the subject of business, I hope that this new council will do everything it can to foster growth and development in the downtown as well as the entire city. Positive growth is good and is what Kitchener needs. The focus of the coming council needs to be centered around what will draw people and business as well as what will keep them.
Over the course of my campaign, I did my best to talk with many people in the downtown. The recurring theme was always the same: More activity! People want reasons to go there. They want more music and art and places to go shopping. Make no mistake, these aren’t hard to get either. It doesn’t always take money, as so many people might assume. What it really takes is a willingness for council and staff to work with the promoters, the business owners and the residents to make things happen.
And I have faith that we will see a great many things happen other the next your years. Because I believe that people will make things happen. Our elected officials are there to work on our behalf’s. We just have to let them know what it is we want!
