Platform

Lakefield Herald Interview

1. Background_I grew up in the Muskoka region, spent a number of years travelling and working abroad. After settling in Smith 20 years ago and starting a family with his wife Geri-lynn, I pursued numerous certifications in Business Management, Emergency and Incident Management, Disaster Management, Climate Change & Environmental Management, Agriculture & Food Security Management, Nutrition, Food Production from a variety of learning institutions like MTCU, Cornell University and the Humanitarian Academy – Harvard University.  He owns and operates the Angle Iron Kitchen in Lakefield.

2. Why did I decide to run in the municipal election for 2022? I started my decision process by educating myself on some of the issues concerning our community which I learned there are as many concerns as we have citizens. I then waited to see who was running for Smith Ward 5 and after realizing that those candidates didn’t reside in Smith it concerned me that the optics of having non-resident representation would not be fair for us in Smith and the Township as a whole. Additionally scrutinizing the list of potential candidates running or acclaimed in the other Wards has the potential to create a powerful council. It became apparent that the Township needed a candidate that would represent the needs and concerns of small business owners as well as the residents of Smith Ward.  

3. What is my background, if any, in politics? I can vividly remember hammering election sign stakes in the ground in my younger years for my father who served as a municipal and district councilor in the Muskoka region. That said I have no prior experience in municipal politics. 

4. Platform Outline. I believe that our future municipal council will need to maintain and continue to serve its community as previous councils have with continued diligence for ongoing and future initiatives while supporting Township employees who are our frontline representatives and are ultimately tasked to implement and execute. 

#1 Priority would be to keep our tax rates the lowest in the county attainable through fiscal management.

#2 Continue to maintain our infrastructure and assets with cost effective environmental upgrades and retrofits.

#3. Attract small to medium sized businesses to invest in our community to create stable year round employment opportunities that will support and sustain our local economy

#4 Advocate for affordable housing and ensure environmental issues are addressed on future housing developments which will see increased growth for our region requiring our emergency services to be adequately staffed and supported.

5. What do you want residents to know about your campaign? Inevitable changes are coming to our region which we need to navigate with community input through Town Hall meetings in a manner that is sustainable for the environment, our small town way of life, and fiscal prudence.

6. What do you hope to accomplish in this role should you be elected? As a community we all have work to do here to maintain our way of life for ourselves, our children and future generations.  I hope that we can come together as a community and work towards finding a balance between all of the concerns our citizens have as we move forward

7. Any additional information you’d like to add. Being an elected official is not easy as it appears to be a job that everyone knows how to do but no one steps forward to do. If elected I know that I will not always be liked but I will earn your respect.

Approved by Brian Henry Campaign