Priorities
Growth needs housing, infrastructure and services to move together.
Ward 2 is growing. That growth can bring new housing, businesses, recreation and opportunity, but planning has to keep pace.
My priorities cover four areas where local decisions matter. In each one I will listen to residents, find out who is responsible and explain what happens next.
No councillor can deliver every outcome alone. Good municipal leadership means knowing where Council has authority, where partnerships are needed and how to keep an issue moving.
04Four priorities
for Ward 2
How I decide
Six questions I will ask before major decisions
- 01
What problem are we trying to solve?
- 02
What do the evidence and residents’ experiences tell us?
- 03
What will it cost? Who will pay? What will the long-term impact be?
- 04
Who is responsible, and who else needs to be at the table?
- 05
What will this mean for residents in real life?
- 06
What will success look like, and how will we know if it worked?
01Growth and Complete Communities
Plan growth around complete communities.
Responsible growth means planning for new homes together with the roads, transit, stormwater systems, parks, natural areas and municipal services a growing community needs.
On Council, I will:
- Review major development proposals alongside road capacity, stormwater needs, parks, recreation, emergency services and other local infrastructure.
- Ask three basic questions when growth requires new infrastructure: What is needed? When will it be delivered? Who will pay for it?
- Support different housing choices while making sure new development fits well beside existing neighbourhoods.
- Protect important natural features and strengthen municipal infrastructure against extreme weather, so today’s decisions do not create avoidable costs or problems tomorrow.
- Work with Durham Region, school boards and other partners when Clarington does not control the service or project.
- Publish plain-language Ward 2 growth updates so residents can see what is proposed, what has been approved and what happens next.
02Safer Streets and Better Connections
Make it easier and safer to get where you are going.
Reliable transportation matters to residents, students and local businesses. Workers need practical ways to reach employment, students need safe ways to get to school, activities and jobs, and families need realistic options for moving around a growing community.
Get Bowmanville ready for GO.The Bowmanville GO extension has moved from promise to construction. Ward 2 now needs careful planning for station access, road capacity, local transit, walking and cycling connections, construction impacts and growth around the future station.
On Council, I will:
- Prioritize practical fixes at Ward 2 traffic hot spots using traffic data and resident feedback.
- Improve crossings, sidewalk connections and safe routes around schools, parks and community destinations where the Municipality has responsibility.
- Coordinate roadwork and development so residents can understand what is happening, why it is happening and when they can expect disruptions to end.
- Work with Durham Region and the Province on regional roads, transit and other connections outside Clarington’s direct control.
- Keep Ward 2’s transportation needs represented in Regional conversations through advocacy, relationship-building and cross-jurisdictional problem-solving.
- Support strong fire and emergency response as Clarington grows, and work with Durham Region, police, paramedics and community partners when public-safety issues cross municipal boundaries.
- Listen to frontline professionals, service data and residents when planning fire halls, emergency-service needs and community-safety responses.
03Strong Community Places and Local Economy
Growth should strengthen the places that make Bowmanville feel like home.
Parks, recreation facilities, trails, downtown streets and public gathering spaces are part of the infrastructure of a strong community.
On Council, I will:
- Make sure major recreation investments are accessible, useful and connected to the neighbourhoods around them.
- Support a thriving Downtown Bowmanville with attention to accessibility, parking and clear signage, heritage character, streetscape quality and connections to surrounding growth.
- Protect and expand opportunities for parks, trails, green space and public access to the waterfront as the community grows.
- Make it easier for local businesses to work with the Municipality, and keep improving the streets and public spaces that bring people downtown.
- Ask how new business and development can create local jobs, strengthen the tax base and help support the services a growing community needs.
04Value, Service and Accountability
Council decisions should respect taxpayers and make good use of public money.
Being careful with public money means looking beyond the initial price tag. Municipal investments should be evaluated on their full lifecycle cost, expected savings, reliability and the value residents receive over time.
Good government should be easy to deal with.
Know who sets which part of the tax bill.Clarington controls only part of the property tax bill. The Municipality’s overview puts it at about 33 percent to Clarington services, about 50 percent to Durham Region and about 17 percent to education. I will be clear about which level of government controls each cost and who is responsible for the service.
Official source ↗ (opens in a new tab) On Council, I will:
- Protect reliable core services and ask what major investments will cost, what residents will receive and how success will be measured.
- Before approving a major project, ask for the full cost, how it will be funded, and what it will cost to operate and maintain over time.
- Look for practical savings, grants, partnerships and other funding before asking local taxpayers to pay more.
- Maintain the roads, parks, facilities and infrastructure residents have already paid for, so small problems do not become more expensive ones.
- Evaluate energy-efficiency upgrades on the evidence, including whether they can lower long-term operating costs while improving municipal facilities and infrastructure.
- Look for places where municipal processes can be simpler, faster or easier for residents and businesses without removing important safeguards.
- Be willing to change course when costs, evidence or community needs change. Improving a plan is part of responsible decision-making.
- Be clear about which level of government is responsible, explain major decisions before and after the vote, and follow up to see whether promised results were delivered.
Resident input
What should I know about your neighbourhood?
Traffic, development, parks, local services or something else? Tell me what is happening, where it is happening and what you think Council should understand. You do not need to be a campaign supporter to write.
