| Council is poised to vote on the Airport Employment Growth District, a 3,000 acre plan to expand the urban boundary around Hamilton International Airport for employment lands. Do you support this plan? Why or why not? |
Yes |
We need to strike a balance between preserving "green space" and the need for jobs and economic growth for the future of our families and city. These employment lands will hopefully bring investment from small and large businesses and create jobs and bring much needed tax revenues so we can continue to provide essential services to our communities. In the past, 60 to 70 per cent of tax revenues brought into the City of Hamilton were from commercial and industrial sources and the rest from residential. Currently, 60 to 70 per cent are coming from residential sources. This trend is unsustainable and needs to be reversed. This initiative, as well as others in our city, is vital to the future prosperity of Hamilton, our families and our communities. |
| Do you support Hamilton's LRT proposal? If so, what will you do to ensure Hamilton's success in building LRT? If not, why do you oppose it? |
Maybe |
The total cost of this proposal is a challenge. If the Federal and Provincial Government do not partner up with the City of Hamilton to bring more dollars to this project, we would have to look at alternatives depending on the funding gap. This would limit the impact on the taxpayers of our city. |
| Many observers argue that Council meetings could be more respectful and professional. Do you agree? If so, what will you do to change this? |
Yes |
Maintaining professionalism and respect is vital during meetings to ensure that council members remain focused on the issues. I don't believe that personal attacks or "finger pointing" is productive in resolving differences. |
| Some cities have committed recently to publishing their public data in an open format that citizens can directly access. Should Hamilton pledge to become an "open source city"? Why or why not? |
Yes |
I support an "open and transparent" government. We as elected city councillors have the responsibility to represent all of our constituents. |
| For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not? |
No |
Presently, I am not receiving any donations from unions or corporations. I am running my campaign with my own funds. |
| The City of Hamilton has committed to doubling transit ridership by 2020. Do you support this goal? If so, how would you realize it? |
Yes |
Yes I support this goal. We need to ensure that the Provincial Government will continue to contribute funding for Transit. Transit is an essential service and I don't believe in privatizing it. We also need to ensure that we make the right choices when it comes to future purchases of fleet and expanding bus service to underserviced areas. |
| Should we spend the Future Fund to build a Pan Am / Ticat stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands? Why or why not? |
Yes |
If the current city council votes to approve the Aberdeen site, and there is a funding gap, then yes, some of this money should be used to offset any impact to City taxpayers. We should also take some of these dollars to revitalize the West Harbour and the redevelopment of the old stadium site to build new commercial and residential initiatives that would bring much needed tax revenues to the City of Hamilton. Furthermore, this current city council had the responsibility to direct staff to do a proper feasibility study on all proposed sites within the City of Hamilton. This process would have led to choosing the best site at a lower cost, create partnership with the Provincial and Federal Government and business that could have led to zero cost to the City taxpayers. |
| Hamilton's Cycling Master Plan has Council approval. However, the implementation timeline is very long and ward councillors can block individual bike lane projects. Do you support accelerating the completion of a continuous bicycle network and other initiatives like a bike sharing program and better access up and down the Escarpment? Why or why not? |
Yes |
Yes, I would accelerate the implementation of a bicycle network. I enjoy bicycling from my home to the downtown YMCA which I have been a member for l5 years. There are some bicycle lanes to and from my home, but we need more to ensure safety for cyclists. |
| Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing? |
No |
Hamilton is not doing enough. We should be looking at initiatives to redevelop our older neighbourhoods. This would create jobs, bring renewal to the area and attract new families to purchase homes in the area. |
