Why I'm Running

Why I Decided to Run

Deciding to run for Council wasn’t something I did on a whim.

Over the years I worked in Wallaceburg, I had the opportunity to see the community from a perspective I hadn't expected when I first arrived. I got to know residents, businesses, volunteers, and community organizations. I saw people working incredibly hard to make things better — often simply because they cared about where they lived.

I also heard the frustrations — about infrastructure, economic development, services, community safety, and the feeling that Wallaceburg sometimes has to work harder to be heard.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking of those things simply as issues affecting the community where I worked. I cared about what happened here.

And I started asking myself whether I could contribute in a different way.

How I Think About the Job

I'm not running because I think I already have every answer.

Municipal issues are rarely as simple as they first appear. Decisions can affect residents, businesses, and communities in very different ways, and there are often financial, legal, and practical considerations that aren't obvious from the outside.

I believe a councillor's job is to listen, ask questions, and do the homework. That means hearing from residents and businesses, but also seeking out information from municipal staff, community organizations, and people with expertise or lived experience.

It also means being willing to change your mind when new information warrants it. I don't think there's anything wrong with saying, “I need to learn more about that” before taking a position.

But eventually, a decision has to be made.

For me, thoughtful decision-making isn't about delaying action. It's about understanding an issue well enough to make a decision you can explain, stand behind and act on.

What I Hope to Bring to Council

I've spent the past several years working with boards, municipal staff, community organizations, businesses, volunteers, and residents. I've seen what can happen when people with different perspectives are able to work toward a common goal—and I've also seen how easily good ideas can stall when that doesn't happen.

I'm running because I believe I can bring that experience to the Council table.

I want to be accessible to the people I represent, prepared when decisions come before me, willing to ask difficult questions, and honest about why I make the decisions I do.

Most of all, I want the work to lead somewhere. Listening matters. Research matters. Good discussion matters. But ultimately, the reason for doing all of those things is to make better decisions and turn good ideas into meaningful results for the community.