Q. Why are you running for council?
A. I’m running for council because I feel the city has way more potential than is being realized. I want this city to be a place that my children will want to return to after university. With the increase in crime and dilapidated roads and infrastructure, our city has taken a wrong turn that needs to be righted.
Q. Do you have experience in public service/community boards/politics?
A. I have been on boards of Nonprofits as well as School SCCs, and charitable organizations in the US and Canada. I also served as a financial advisor to a Mayoral Candidate in the US in which I uncovered irregularities in the budget that lead to the conviction of the sitting mayor for fraud.
Q. Do you think experience matters one way or another?
A. Experience in politics, not as much as experience in handling real life situations and being able to explain to the people of this city why the easy and cheap route isn’t always the best route. For too long the council has been taking the easy solution in the cover of “saving the citizens money” while costing the people way more in the long run.
Q. What topic/policy issue/incident was the tipping point for you?
A. I don’t believe there is one issue that was a “tipping point” for me. I just feel that we’ve had people in the same positions for quite some time and we need a change. Infrastructure, crime, taxation and tourism are all very important to me and I believe we can do better.
Q. What criticisms do you have, if any, for the politics you've seen over the past two or three years?
A. If I have one complaint for city hall it would be its lack of accountability. Too many departments point fingers at other departments and very little seems to get done or takes way longer than it should. The citizens deserve better.
Q. What is your plan to compromise/cooperate with fellow council members to accomplish policy goals?
A. If you can’t cooperate with your opposition, then nothing ever gets accomplished. I have supporters on all sides of the political aisles, so I truly feel this is a non-issue. We are being elected to work with all levels of government and to serve the people of this city. And serve our citizens I will by reaching out regularly to discuss their concerns.
Q. What else do you want voters to know about you?
A. The one thing I would like voters to know about me is that no one will work harder for them. I feel there is always a solution to a problem if you are willing to put in the effort to find it. “That’s just the way it’s been done” is not an acceptable answer for things that need to be fixed, and open mindedness needs to be part of the solution process. We can’t continuously be living proof of Einstein’s theory of insanity by doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. There is a better way, so let’s go find it.
Q. In the interests of transparency, are you coordinating or do you share an association with any other candidates, in any way whatsoever?
A. Full and fair disclosure, I am not coordinating with any other persons running for office, but I do reach out to them to get to know their views and platforms as I will be voting as a citizen as well.
A candidates forum is taking place on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Auditorium at Peacock Collegiate. The forum will be livestreamed on Discover Moose Jaw.
Discover Moose Jaw will also have full coverage of the municipal election on Nov. 13.
For further municipal election coverage visit our election page.