Elections
Trevor Pettit, Candidate for Ward 7 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2010
Details page for this candidate.
In This Page:
Candidate Details (top)
| Name | Pettit, Trevor |
|---|---|
| Election | Hamilton Municipal Election 2010 |
| Area | Ward 07 |
| Party | N/A |
| Votes | 3938 |
| votetrevorpettit@sourcecable.net | |
| Website | http://www.votetrevor.ca/ |
| Home | |
| Business | 905-515-3329 |
| Fax | |
| Bio | Married to Susan- 2 daughters Bailey Evans- Graduate McMaster in Political Science- Morgan Pettit- 3rd year University of Guelph Criminology- Son-in-law- Nick Evans-veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan with Her Majesty’s British Forces and our beloved feline Lucy. |
Responses to Questions (top)
| Question | Brief Response | Full Response |
|---|---|---|
| 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? | No | I believe we need to slow down this process. There is too much information coming at a pace so fast and furious it is impossible for a councillor or civilian to study it in time to make a rational decision. Not being privy to all information at this point I would be remiss in making a hasty judgment. I do believe we need to balance the needs of our agricultural community with our economic development plans. Wherever possible we should look inwards to brownfield development. Moving too quickly here could have devastating impact on our property taxes. We seem to be at constant odds with the province on this issue as well. Why is that? I call for any vote on this issue and the Pan Am issue as well to be put off until after the upcoming municipal election. |
| 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? | Yes | I support LRT but think we should put more emphasis on the north south leg rather than east west. I believe we should have LRT running from the airport north to downtown and on to the waterfront. This would encourage more mountain people to go downtown and would ultimately enhance the west harbour redevelopment. I will be a voice for LRT in any scenario but especially a north south route. |
| 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 | This is a very noble goal and certainly one we should strive to achieve. We need to provide convenience at reasonable rates. More availability and scheduled stops during prime time. Safety and cleanliness that will make users feel comfortable and secure. Handicap accessability is paramount. Expanded service to the outer suburbs if the demand is there. Reduced rates for seniors - free ride for seniors over 70 and all armed forces personnel. Every effort must have a good business plan that understands the fiscal realities of the day. |
| 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 believe that council meetings begin with the intent of all to be respectful and professional. Sometimes in the heat of debate people go too far overboard. All councillors, both old and newly elected, should be thoroughly briefed on the Rules of Order and Code of Conduct that currently exist. I would also like to see a dress code that would show respect for the institution. Blue jeans, turtlenecks, etc. are not acceptable. Perhaps we need to look at time restraints for speaking. Toronto was given special powers and maybe Hamilton should have the same. Perhaps we should have a Speaker, who would have the authority to remove unruly councilors from the meetings based on the Rules of Order. The Council Chamber needs to be respected as the board room of a billion dollar enterprise, not a Hollywood stage set. The taxpayer expects and deserves no less. |
| 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? | No | I believe we need a continuous bicycle network, a bike sharing program and better access up and down the Escarpment. Should councillors be able to block bike lane projects? If through public consultation within the ward there has been a determination to do so, then I think it inherent upon any councillor to represent the majority.
Bicycle programs, like many other programs, are valuable programs for our city. Having said that I am being told at the doors as I canvas to focus on the basics like infrastructure renewal - our roads, sewers and bridges. We have a $120,000,000.00 infrastructure deficit in Hamilton due to years of neglect. Let's get our house in order by prioritizing and then move to the programs that will add value to our community, such as the bicycle program. We cant do everything at once, especially in troubled economic times. |
| 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 | Yes absolutely we should become an open source city, whenever possible. Transparency is paramount to the public in my view. There may be occasions, for legal reasons for example, where we may not be able to be as open as we might wish. Beyond that we should be as open as possible. What's to hide? |
| Is Hamilton doing enough to support and encourage new investment in our older neighbourhoods? If not, what should the City be doing? | No | The current brouhaha surrounding the Pearl Company highlights that we need to rethink the way we do business. We need to cut red tape and streamline the process so that developers and investors jump at the chance to do business in our older neighbourhoods. We need to be careful not to focus on residential development in these areas as opposed to commercial/industrial wherever possible. We need to reduce the percentage of revenues that are derived from residential. Currently we are at close to 70% residential and that is a runaway train heading for the end of the line. Any development must first and foremost keep the environment in mind. We need to be much more aggressive in terms of business retention and in reaching out to potential investors/developers. |
| Should we spend the Future Fund to build a Pan Am / Ticat stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands? Why or why not? | No | No I do not believe we should use the future funds to build this stadium on the CP Rail Yard lands, or any other lands for that matter. The majority of the people I have talked to far and away do not want a nickel of that money spent on a stadium. They want us to deal with poverty, infrastructure and the basic necessities. The rest can wait. Every site that has been considered has been a hurried study. We can't afford any rushed decisions that will have a negative impact on the beleaguered taxpayer. |
| For your campaign, will you be accepting donations from corporations or unions? If so, why? If not, why not? | Yes | Yes I will accept contributions from both corporations and unions should they decide to make a donation. I believe they both have a vested interest in the community and have every right to participate in the democratic process by supporting candidates of their choice.
Having said that I also am a strong proponent of tax credits for individuals that contribute. This is done at the provincial and federal levels so should also be allowed at the municipal level. Individuals tend to be more participatory when they receive a tax receipt. |
