Municipal Election 2010

Today I filed my nomination papers to run for a position on council in Ward 9 in the 2010 municipal election to be held on October 25th. This opportunity occurred as a result of the decision of Councillor Susan Eagle to leave London to take up pastoral responsibilities in Barrie.


I am very torn about this decision. While I look forward to campaigning hard in the ward that has been my home for more than three decades most of my colleagues and I will really miss Susan, both as a friend and as a voice for social justice on city council. She is eloquent, knowledgeable and compassionate. And very savvy. Hers will be big shoes to fill, despite the fact that her feet are certainly smaller than mine. I am fortunate that she is endorsing my candidacy and will be a mentor to me until her term expires next October.

When I ran for board of control in 2006, I had no idea how interesting the next three years would be. There was a lot to learn, much reading to be done, and people to work with. I had made commitments to the electorate about my priorities but clearly they were not achievable without the support of others. Getting to know the other members of council, learning from them, and working together to get things done has been a revelation and a joy.

A lot has been accomplished. The board of control has been abolished in favour of more accountable governance, decisions about the pace and direction of growth are more firmly in the hands of the city, and the city’s finances are becoming increasingly manageable. We are making gains in environmental and economic sustainability.

These gains have been gotten by hard work and collaboration as well as some confrontation. But they can be as easily lost as they were hard to achieve. We need these things to become part of the status quo and we need to build on them.

That is what I hope to accomplish by asking the voters of Lambeth and Byron to select me as their voice on council. I won’t be Susan, but I will bring commitment, hard work and integrity to the job. I ask you to help me in this venture. I can’t do it alone.

Check here for the LPF story.