ASK DAVID

I got involved 16 years ago because I didn't feel decisions at the council table supported a positive, growing future for my family. My son was two and my daughter was six. Today, the mayor is Welland's only voice at Regional Council, and that worries me. Welland needs someone with 16 years of local experience who can go to the Region and make it more responsive to our needs, and help it be more responsive to other municipalities facing similar problems.em.

Better customer service at City Hall. Many people feel City Hall is disconnected. That sits on top of every other issue, from taxes to traffic to housing. It starts with the mayor and the CAO. We ask residents what good service looks like, set standards, measure ourselves against them and share the results. How fast do we respond to an inquiry? Do we get back to people afterward to tell them what happened? Do we actually clear every street within 24 hours of a major snowfall?

I also want residents to be able to look up where their street sits on the repair list. That helps the public hold council accountable for funding roads at the 12-year replacement mark.

I can't tell anyone how to trust me, that's on them. But if you ask the people who work most closely with me, they'll tell you I do what I say. If I disagree, I tell you and explain why. On contentious issues, I vote the way I believe is right for Welland, even when the short term is unpleasant, as long as the long term delivers the best result. Welland needs straightforward, honest leadership, at City Hall and at the regional table.

Taxes are the cost of our services divided by the tax base. Comparing cities isn't an exact science. A place like Markham has more density, high-rises and industry, so businesses carry more of the load and the residential share is smaller. Welland needs to keep growing its industrial tax base, which is why we need our next industrial park open. I believe we can slow the growth of tax increases, and I'll push for infrastructure investments that reduce operating costs first, because that is how you get tax efficiency.

That number can be misleading. It largely reflects the current value of our assets, like roads and water and sewer pipes. Those assets are worth more, but that isn't cash we can spend. Our auditors and the Province require it to be reported this way..

 Regional taxes have been growing at roughly twice the rate of Welland's. When we pass a 4% increase, the Region passes 8%. That's a problem, and it's a big part of why Welland needs a mayor who can make the Region accountable for outcomes and value for taxpayers.

Classification is decided by MPAC, so start by raising it with them. If nothing changes, talk to the City's Director of Finance, who may have another way to bring the matter forward to MPAC. As mayor, I'm available to discuss it too. More broadly, I'm committed to making sure taxes deliver services.

First, infrastructure investments that reduce operating costs, since that eases the burden on taxes. Then infrastructure that creates capacity for development, renewal of roads and sidewalks, recreation programming, and police and paramedic services. These are the services people expect and need.

 It's a challenge, but if Welland hadn't participated in the Canada-Ontario program, our developers would be at a 50% cost disadvantage against neighbouring municipalities. Construction is about 25% of Niagara's economy, and those are jobs for your neighbours and family. The rules have changed, so our finance, planning and infrastructure teams must make sure growth infrastructure is fully costed. If the program turns out not to be sustainable, we need to advocate early for changes.

The program offsets about 90% of the reduced fees for housing-enabling infrastructure, so roads, watermains and stormwater systems aren't shifted onto existing taxpayers. We also put all of our nearly $4.9 million in Build Faster funding toward growth infrastructure. And density downtown helps: it's far cheaper to service a building in the core than a new neighbourhood, which reduces the cost to existing taxpayers.

Under Ontario's Planning Act, the City can't force developers to build affordable units, so we have to incentivize it by lowering builders' costs. That's already working in Welland:

• A 83-unit project on city-owned land with Bethlehem Housing and the      Community Land Trust of Niagara, with support services on site.
• Elevate Living, using concessions on parkland requirements and development charges to secure CMHC and Build Canada funding for 100+ affordable and deeply affordable units.
• A downtown city land sale plus waived fees, clearing the way for a 135-unit      building with 30% to 40% affordable housing.

Faster timelines and strong partnerships work. We need housing at every income level, and the closer we get builders' costs down, the deeper the affordability they can offer.

Three things: 

1. that regional trunk lines can support roughly 4,500 additional housing units, 
2. that our local roads can handle the traffic, and 
3. that the new neighbourhood is truly connected to our existing ones rather than becoming an island.

Right-hand turning lanes on Niagara Street at Woodlawn Road are my first fix. Some congestion can be eased with signal timing, and some needs bottleneck solutions. Most of our traffic problems are on regional roads, so I would review the regional master plan and, if growth demands it, push to expedite work on Regional Roads 54 and 41. Pedestrian safety stays a priority throughout.

Yes. I support a new arena with uses beyond ice surfaces. My most recent vote was in favour of proceeding with a cost estimate, which lets us qualify for grants from upper levels of government. Those grants are critical.

Set aside industrial land, and move at the speed of business. Our experience with GE and Northern Gateway shows that when the City controls an industrial park, we can choose good fits, make reasonable deals based on appraised value, and train the workforce alongside our college. Welland needs a new industrial park 

We're already seeing it. Niagara College helped train the workforce when GE came to fill 450 jobs, working in sync with our economic development team. Next, I'd like to see a business launchpad in our downtown, bringing together college graduates, landlords, the Enterprise Centre and the City, so students can start a business "with training wheels" in storefronts that are sitting empty. The City and the College can do much more together, regardless of the election result.

Put a key person or economic development office in charge of boosting downtown traffic, and work with landlords and businesses on a targeted approach. Add the student launchpad. Add a policing storefront and more boots on the ground downtown, which should have happened sooner. People want local businesses, and Welland stands up for them.

It's nearly recession-proof. People skip a vacation before they skip a sporting event. We should keep leveraging the canal for rowing, canoeing and open-water swimming, along with Youngs SportsPlex, and keep moving on a new arena so we can host more tournaments. More events mean more heads in beds and more business for local shops. 

I'm not the expert, but I know it's a symptom of a housing system and a healthcare system that are failing, and it affects people on the street and everyone in public spaces. The City should help identify gaps, advocate for housing solutions, and work with the Region, the Province and community partners. I support a housing-first approach, and the HART Hub model, which integrates housing, support, social services and employment services, looks promising. We need real outcomes and safe places for everyone.

Community engagement matters, so concerns can be heard and addressed. Shelter placement is hard, but not having shelters is hard too. Residents deserve assurances that sites will be managed properly over the long term, so I'd want those assurances written into the Regional motion itself.

Every action has a reaction. The question is how we help people while keeping public spaces public. That takes coordinated services alongside safe, secure spaces for everyone. We can't give up on people, because if we do, we give up on ourselves.

I was born in the Welland hospital. We need a fully functioning Welland ER, or wait times will only get worse as our population grows. We also need more long-term care beds in the community. That means partnering with providers and getting licences from the Province.

By listening first. Right after the election, I'll register as a delegation at each of the other 11 municipal councils to hear their top challenges. Goodwill built that way is what you need when a critical Welland issue is on the line. The mayor needs to be a good listener, respectful, focused on results and supportive of others.

Both need 100% of my focus, and my 16 years at City Hall plus 29 years in corporate and small business management have prepared me for that. Each week I'll meet with City staff about regional issues so Welland's priorities shape what I do at the Region. I'll join key regional committees, engage with regional leadership, and bring regional agenda items to Welland councillors, with council motions when an issue needs extra weight.  It will take work, and I'm ready for it.

Democracy is fragile, and we need to protect it. I would delegate the hiring of directors and organizational change to the CAO. I would keep the ability to hire or fire the CAO, appoint committee chairs and create new committees, while still consulting council. On the budget, I'd listen to councillors' priorities before starting the 30-day countdown. Any power that lets the mayor override a council majority would be used only in extreme situations, after consultation, with great caution.

As Budget Chair for seven years, I chaired the toughest meetings of the year. When one councillor crossed the floor toward another, I left the chair, separated them, and we carried on. The mayor sets the standard from day one, and you can't allow daylight between what's acceptable and what isn't. Just as important, the mayor has to build bridges with every councillor outside the meeting room. Respect follows when councillors see a mayor who treats them with respect and takes an interest in their wards.

The City should plow sidewalks along primary routes. Over my 16 years on council I pushed and voted for sidewalk clearing and helped add about 39 km. As mayor, I'll review the program to see where more clearing makes the most sense and is affordable, and we need to talk to residents about it. We'll encourage people who aren't clearing their walks to do their part, and encourage private providers to make themselves known to residents who need help. I won't promise what we can't afford in a single tax year.

Kids at every income level need access to sport, and I welcome the conversation about how lower costs can grow participation. Any concession for baseball has to be weighed against the other non-profits the City works with, while taxpayers already feel they aren't getting enough for what they pay. That doesn't mean no, and what leagues propose may be the best way forward. Let's start there.

The French community is Welland. You can't separate the two. It's vibrant, bringing together culture, language, church, schools, clubs, healthcare and long-term care, and my vision is to build on that togetherness. In August, I put forward and council passed a $100,000 city grant to Foyer Richelieu. My kids are both bilingual having gfrown up through Welland's French schools and daycare, and I was part of the first French immersion class in the former Niagara South Board of Education starting in Grade 7 in 1985. As mayor, I'll be the mayor of all citizens, and I want to hear what matters to the French community.

My responsibility as mayor is to serve everyone. If Indigenous leaders identify a gap and see positive impacts for Indigenous lives, it's something we should investigate together. I want to listen, learn and find the best path forward, including how we nourish all of our communities.