David Brown, Candidate for Ward 5 in Hamilton Municipal Election 2014 - Raise the Hammer Elections

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Candidate Details
Responses to Questions

Candidate Details (top)

Name	Brown, David
Election	Hamilton Municipal Election 2014
Area	Ward 05
Party	N/A
Votes	0
Email	david@electdavidbrown.ca
Website	http://www.electdavidbrown.ca
Home	289-396-2146
Business
Fax
Bio	About David Brown David is a land use planner and small business owner who is experienced at finding solutions. Balanced with compassion and a commonsensical approach, David's fresh perspective will lead smart growth and improve service without increasing cost. A Message from David My observation is that Hamilton has tremendous potential. Like my old hometown of Mississauga 25 years ago, Hamilton is beginning a transformation to the next stage of our City's evolution. We have an abundance of good people waiting to work with a council who will manage growth and promote smart and sustainable redevelopment. I am ready to work. The Hamilton that I see is one that has unique and vibrant communities, parks and trees, remarkable architecture and a fascinating heritage. The City of Waterfalls created by the beautiful Niagara escarpment through the middle of our City sitting at the top of Lake Ontario. Time after time I encourage people to come and look at Hamilton from our side of the bay. There is an entrepreneurial and innovative force in our business communities looking for leadership from our City Council. It is time for a change that can start right here in Ward 5. I would be honoured to serve you and our neighbours as your City Councillor. On October 27th, I am asking for your vote for Ward 5 Councillor. Our future needs fresh leadership.

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Responses to Questions (top)

Question	Brief Response	Full Response
Do you believe Hamilton should do more to protect and enhance its built heritage?	Yes	I believe that the City of Hamilton has some magnificent heritage in the form of buildings. I would work tirelessly to protect and enhance the built heritage of our City.
Do you support implementing a Vision Zero for Hamilton, with a goal of eliminating all pedestrian and cyclist deaths on our streets? If so, what specific actions would you take to implement this policy, and if not, why?	Maybe	I believe that City Council and the City of Hamilton always makes decisions with the goal of protecting its residents. As the Chairman of the City of Mississauga Traffic Safety Council for over ten years, I worked with the City staff and stakeholders to implement various safety programs to address the conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. There are always opportunities to improve traffic safety so long as we are aware and prepared to act. I will bring this experience to City Council.
Do you support the use of participatory budgeting to allow ward residents to propose and vote on local capital projects?	Maybe	One of the responsibilities of a City Councillor to their constituents is to communicate and consult their electorate regularly. If this doesn't happen then it is time to replace your Councillor.
The City's Cycling Master Plan is up for review. Do you support improving the plan to speed the installation of cycling facilities and provide more high-quality protected infrastructure like the new Cannon Street cycle track?	Maybe	I support the Cycling Master Plan. In regards to speeding up the installation of cycling facilities, the City is currently experiencing some significant financial pressures. It may be necessary to prioritize spending and as a result some projects may have to be delayed to enable the City to make critical infrastructure investments.
Do you support an expanded role for Hamilton to provide more affordable housing? If so, what should Hamilton do?	Yes	The City of Hamilton can be very proactive in the provision of affordable housing. We need to be working with the building industry and organizations like the Federation of Rental Housing Providers and the Greater Toronto Apartment Authority to determine the barriers to the construction of new affordable housing units. Working with these groups, we can work with the building industry to have affordable housing units constructed in Hamilton. My experience working with the development industry will enable me to achieve success with this important issue.
Do you support converting more of Hamilton's one-way thoroughfares into complete, two-way streets that support walking, cycling and transit?	Yes	I support the conversion of the one-way thoroughfares into complete two-way streets.
The Province has shelved a proposal to build a mid-peninsula highway from Niagara Falls or Fort Erie around Hamilton to connect with Hwy 401 or 407 north of Burlington. Do you agree with the Province's decision to put its development on hold?	No	Absolutely not! The construction of this highway is critical to the long term prosperity of the City of Hamilton linking our airport and industry to important United States markets with access to the large Greater Toronto Area market. The Queen Elizabeth Way from Hamilton to Niagara is nearing capacity and when there is a serious accident which closes the highway, millions of dollars of goods are prevented from getting to their destination. The mid-peninsula highway would alleviate this congestion and provide a necessary alternative.
The Province plans to allow municipalities to use ranked ballots in future elections. If so, will you vote to adopt ranked ballots in Hamilton?	No	I do not a support the use of ranked ballots. The current first past the post system is part of our democratic electoral process. I prefer to cast a ballot for one candidate, not a field of possibly 10 or like the current mayoral race in Toronto of some 65 candidates.
Do you support the city's plan to build an east-west light rail transit (LRT) line with full capital funding from the Province?	No	This question is flawed, in that the Province is not proposing to provide full capital funding for a Light Rail Transit system. I compare the Council Resolution that was passed to saying that I would like to drive a Ferrari if someone else pays for it. Public Transit infrastructure is expensive and to support a higher order transit system, the City must increase ridership to the point where we can finance a rapid transit system on the basis of ridership and demand. Today we do not have those numbers. It would be my goal to focus on improving service levels to increase ridership so that we would then be in a position to determine the feasibility of rapid transit including Light Rail.
Do you believe City Hall should be more accessible to Hamilton residents? If so, what steps would you take to achieve this?	Maybe	I believe that City Hall is accessible to residents. If your question is whether the Council is open in terms of their decision making process, I believe that there is more that can be done to make the decision making process more transparent. My experience enables me to make decisions.