Ed Pecyna, Candidate for Ward 6 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2010 - Raise the Hammer Elections

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Candidate Details
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Candidate Details (top)

Name	Pecyna, Ed
Election	Hamilton Municipal Election 2010
Area	Ward 06
Party	N/A
Votes	1127
Email	edpecyna@mountaincable.net
Website	http://www.edpecyna.com/
Home	905-730-9422
Business
Fax
Bio	Rooted in Ward 6 A Ward 6 Boy, Ed Pecyna was born and raised in Hamilton attending both elementary and secondary schools in Ward 6 before going on to graduate from The University of Western Ontario in London. He continues to update his professional and interpersonal skills by taking courses at other post secondary institutions. Community-Minded He's an involved and active dad overseeing academics and coaching flag football. His concerns led him to chair the Parent Council and be extremely proactive involved in the 50th anniversary celebrations for the school. Becoming involved in the school is second nature to Ed, the son of a former teacher and high school vice principal. He serves as an executive member of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board's Joint Educational Parent Advisory Group. Career Professionally, Ed is a performance-driven senior executive and computer guru offering 25 years of comprehensive achievements in Information Technology and Wholesale Distribution disciplines. He incorporates innovative management techniques resulting in enhanced business practices, increased productivity, and profits. He is a dedicated and technically-skilled business professional with a versatile operational and administrative management skill set developed through many years and positions of on-the-job experience. He solves business problems with innovative solutions, systems and process improvements that increase efficiency, customer satisfaction and the bottom line. For the past 18 years, Ed has been president of Greenbridge providing computer-consulting services, business and systems analysis, development of complete database software applications and internet application development plus more. He also teaches - computer applications courses at the Canadian Institute of Dental Hygiene, an accredited private college in Hamilton. Some of the key knowledge areas Ed brings to City Hall are: * Operations Management * Workflow Optimization * Performance Improvement * Profit and Loss Management * Expense Reduction * Strategic Planning and Growth Education He earned his Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and Visual Arts in 1984 from University of Western Ontario Over the past 23 years, Ed has completed various training programs, educational workshops, courses and conferences in Business Administration, Computer Programming and Computer Hardware Technician. He is currently in the middle of earning another designation via Mohawk College for the Teaching the Adult Learner certificate program. Family Man He has spent the past 25 years with his loving wife, Tracey (a Ward 6 native) with whom he has three daughters: Natalie and twins Angela and Lindsay. After university, Ed's entrepreneurial skills and business acumen led him to create businesses in Vancouver, Mississauga and Oakville but all roads lead back to Hamilton. He and his family settled a short distance from his childhood home. His daughters were born here and attend his alma maters.

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Responses to Questions (top)

Question	Brief Response	Full Response
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?	No	I support the improvement of transit and the implementation of rapid transit in Hamilton but I am not convinced at this point that LRT is the way to go. There are two reasons: 1. Capital cost 2. Operating costs There is much studying to do on this subject so I can't give you a definitive answer here. However, based on what I have seen so far, even though the LRT has been referred to as the "sexier" choice, I am leaning towards a more cost effective BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). Consider the following: System = LRT, Capital Cost = $829M, Operating Cost = $12.0M System = BRT, Capital Cost = $218M, Operating Cost = $ 4.8M LRT will cost almost four times as much to build as BRT, and approximately 2.5 times to operate it. I'm not convinced the benefits outweigh the costs. Metrolinx made their proposal to the provincial government, who will be responsible for the costs (i.e. the provincial taxpayers). Judging how the economy has fared for Ontarians over the past few years, I suspect the provincial government will look at cheaper options (i.e. BRT).
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	I agree that Council meetings could be more respectful and professional. To change this, the best I can do is lead by example. It is pretty straight forward: follow the Rules of Order, listen when others have the floor, prepare, speak when I can improve the silence, be on point and concise.
For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not?	Yes	I will accept donations from corporations, unions as well as individuals for two reasons: 1. It is mandated by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (i.e. it is legal and has limits). 2. Running a campaign is an expensive proposition, especially for non-incumbents. While there are many arguments for and against corporate and union contributions, currently they are legal and are subject to the same restrictions as those for individuals. If there is enough political will from the public to modify or eliminate these types of contributions in future election campaigns, I would welcome the opportunity to abide by new rules that would be in effect for all candidates and hopefully level the playing field for all.
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	Hamilton should pledge to become an "open source city". If the data is public, then City Hall should make efforts to make it easy for citizens, businesses and other groups to share this information while respecting privacy and security concerns. Just as there is a push to integrate a better mix of different transportation modes throughout the city, similar efforts should be focused on improving communication between the city and its citizens. Why? - Better informed citizens make better decisions. - Easily accessed and well organized public data provides impetus for potential innovation. - Possibilities of more cost effective and better delivery of city services. It's time to drag the 20th century buggy-whip crowd into the 21st century!