At the municipal level, the goal of a Councillor is to present their issues and get a majority of their fellow Councillors to support them. There are fewer guarantees that an individual Councillor's "platform" will be supported by other Councillors than there are in traditional "party" politics.
Having said all of that, these are the things I will put my efforts into:
Fiscal responsibility - balancing the needs of residents and businesses, while always being cognizant of stakeholders' ability to pay. We need to do things that will attract people to live or start businesses in St. Catharines, but we can't lose sight of what building, increasing services, etc. does to our taxpayer base. We need to consider both short-term and, especially, long-term impacts of the decisions made to spend money. We need to ensure that taxpayers (residential, business, and industrial) feel they are getting value for their tax dollar.
Accessible communities - building communities and community infrastructure that makes it easier to get around the city whether one is pushing a stroller, using an assistive device, riding transit, cycling, walking, or driving a car. I have experience working closely with public works and engineering departments, and I have a fair bit of civil engineering knowledge through my family. I want to see our infrastructure maintained and improved, while also implementing a more connected active transportation network.
Youth - we've heard a lot of talk about youth retention for at least 10 years now. Yet, here we are with the fourth highest population of seniors in Canada (Census 2011). Obviously, part of this is because there are simply more seniors than there are youth (speaking in terms of general demographics). But part of it is because St. Catharines has not been the place that the youth who are raised here or who come to attend school here choose to stay. We need to create an environment that makes them want to stay. I want my children to stay in St. Catharines. I want them to feel like they have education, career, and recreation opportunities that are difficult to beat anywhere else. And if I can help to make this city a place where my kids will stay, then it will be a city where your kids are likely to stay as well.
Community and citizen engagement - not only for city staff and councillors to engage in more open dialogue with citizens, but also to give citizens more opportunities to provide staff and councillors with feedback. I will always be available by telephone, e-mail, or through the ward meetings I plan to have. As your city councillor, my job is to listen to you. Without open and honest communication, we can't achieve what this city needs to be more vibrant and attractive to all of us.
Youth - we've heard a lot of talk about youth retention for at least 10 years now. Yet, here we are with the fourth highest population of seniors in Canada (Census 2011). Obviously, part of this is because there are simply more seniors than there are youth (speaking in terms of general demographics). But part of it is because St. Catharines has not been the place that the youth who are raised here or who come to attend school here choose to stay. We need to create an environment that makes them want to stay. I want my children to stay in St. Catharines. I want them to feel like they have education, career, and recreation opportunities that are difficult to beat anywhere else. And if I can help to make this city a place where my kids will stay, then it will be a city where your kids are likely to stay as well.
Community and citizen engagement - not only for city staff and councillors to engage in more open dialogue with citizens, but also to give citizens more opportunities to provide staff and councillors with feedback. I will always be available by telephone, e-mail, or through the ward meetings I plan to have. As your city councillor, my job is to listen to you. Without open and honest communication, we can't achieve what this city needs to be more vibrant and attractive to all of us.
Consensus and community building - working to get individuals and groups to have more open, respectful discussions with each other in an effort to create an environment where we can work more cohesively. There are a number of groups in St. Catharines that are already working together to create more of a sense of community. I think, in St. Catharines, we have a number of smaller communities (Port Dalhousie, Merritton, etc.), but I'm not sure how much we feel like a community as a whole. So far, most of the groups are entrepreneurial in nature, but I think this is a good start. Further, while I don't necessarily agree that Niagara should be one large municipality, I do believe that it's imperative that we start working together, across municipalities and organizations, throughout Niagara.
To be frank, I didn't number the items in the list above, because it is challenging to put them in a priority order. There is a great deal of overlap amongst them, with all of them really needing to be worked on at the same time. For instance, improvements to transit service will make our communities more accessible, while also being a step toward creating a more hospitable environment for youth.
As I said, there are - unfortunately - no guarantees that I can accomplish these things as a lone councillor, but I will use my communication and consensus building skills to work with my council colleagues, and I will keep all of these things in mind with every decision I make at the Council table.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me through the blog, via e-mail: lauraipforstgeorgesward@gmail.com, through my Facebook page: Laura Ip for St. George's Ward, or on Twitter: @L__Ip. I'd love to hear your feedback.
To be frank, I didn't number the items in the list above, because it is challenging to put them in a priority order. There is a great deal of overlap amongst them, with all of them really needing to be worked on at the same time. For instance, improvements to transit service will make our communities more accessible, while also being a step toward creating a more hospitable environment for youth.
As I said, there are - unfortunately - no guarantees that I can accomplish these things as a lone councillor, but I will use my communication and consensus building skills to work with my council colleagues, and I will keep all of these things in mind with every decision I make at the Council table.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me through the blog, via e-mail: lauraipforstgeorgesward@gmail.com, through my Facebook page: Laura Ip for St. George's Ward, or on Twitter: @L__Ip. I'd love to hear your feedback.
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