Council Transparency Responses

Between my time at United Way to personal efforts on my blog, I have written about the City Budget for nearly a decade. As councillor I will continue to do so, highlighting key elements that impact Ward 2 and City-wide issues. The broader structure of the budget is something that I won’t be able to change in the remaining year of the council term as the draft budget is likely nearly completed and will be debated likely in
early 2026.

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

A portion of that data is skewed due to the presence of the University of Windsor and increasingly St Clair College students in the ward who are not permanent residents. I will have an active social media page and a willingness to meet young people where they are.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

I plan to be available and responsive to residents, I have blogged for years, I plan on launching a enewsletter if elected that will provide monthly updates of what is on the horizon. I will remain active on social media on key issues.

I believe the whole budget process should be done in the public eye, every decision and conversation should
be made publicly so the citizens know what their councillors and mayor are planning for the year. I am all about accountability and transparency and will bring these traits to city hall if elected.

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

I plan on holding regular town halls, completing a monthly new letter and updating both my website and social media accounts to ensure everyone knows what is going on and to allow the community to voice their opinions on what is happening at city hall. We all have to remember that City Hall works for us not the other way around.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

The same way I answered the previous question.

I believe that every financial decision should be public record, a lack of transparency is otherwise called corruption and it can not be condoned. No one deserves a cut of any public money without proven accountability.

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

Social Media helps but with news not being allowed to be shared on facebook in Canada, access to information is worse than ever. More engagement with large social media entities like Windsor Car Spotters on Facebook would drive more engagement.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

I would like to rent a small space to host in office hours to directly meet with residents as well as host some
form of online platform for engagement as well.

Besides strong mayor powers impact on budgeting, my core concern is that the general public does not even know how it works. I would advocate for more accessible, user friendly financials that provide more indepth data instead of just general spending categories.

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

I am 28 years old so I have the advantage of being relatable to a younger demographic. I am also grateful to lead the community support projects Made in YQG and Support YQG which have large audiences on social media. With these projects, I bring thousands of engaged young followers (26.7% 18-24 / 38.9% 25-34) from across Windsor-Essex who are already invested in local issues. I would leverage this existing platform to educate the community about my role on council and address ward specific issues.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

The least resistant way to engage and get direct, immediate feedback would be to use social media effectively to engage, poll and discuss with the community. As stated previously, I would also love to organize a community roundtable in Ward 2 - this would allow me to engage with a wider demographic that might not use social media. Another priority for me is to connect with community groups who are able to aid in translation to support feedback from different languages. Residents who struggle with English as a secondary language shouldn't be left out of the conversations

Other Notes / Comments

City council meetings should not just be held at a more favourable time but the recording and documentation should also be improved. Other cities of similar sizes to Windsor have interactive video players that show council minutes, speakers, topics, transcripts, etc. all within the same window. Our city has one of the most cumbersome websites and council recordings I have ever seen.

With 40 plus years of banking experience and a degree in Business from the University of Windsor and past
dealings with the city and some of their related business I plan to bring a disciplined approach to budget process. Transparency is paramount. With the 2026 budget upon us it will be a difficult one given the trade and tariffs discussion. Highest unemployment in the country does not bode well for us in the future. Council must deliver a budget without any "vanity" projects. Cutting costs is very important. We must look
at all departments to see where savings can take place. I liked the idea as having committees set up to sit down with departments to see where saving can take place which may include downsizing the number of municipal employees.

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

Regular Ward 2 meetings and social media blasts to keep them informed. We need to get them involved and stay involved in local politics. This is as close to grassroots they we get. Unlike Provincially or Federal politics. Decision we make as City Council directly effects them.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

Encourage the residents to attend council meetings. Provide up to date information on outstanding issues via social media and regular ward meetings.

Each single council meeting should be broadcast online

According to 2021 Census Data, roughly 30% of Ward 2’s population is under 34 years old. Outside of City Council, how do you plan on informing the young population on local issues?

Make periodic funny short videos, other than cold and boring news.

How will you directly engage with residents and obtain their feedback prior to Council making a decision?

I will rely on working account on social media, such as Instagram and Tiktok.