Question For Mayoral Candidates: For our Mayoral candidates who have full time employment: How will you be able to put in the 40 or more hours required each week as Mayor of Amherstburg? Will you be at Town Hall every day? Will you get a leave-of-absence from your current employer?

Question 40. Have you ever been personally declared bankrupt or been in a position of authority of a business that has been declared bankrupt? Do you feel a bankruptcy declaration precludes candidates from running for municipal office?

Question 39. What I’m looking for here is a straight forward yes or no answer with your reasons why? Do not want a politically correct answer from someone pursuing a seat and trying not to offend anyone but also at the same time, not answering the question. There have been many of the candidates who have mentioned the 41 items or areas of concern brought forward from the Deloitte review. Are these not 41 issues of concern that have happened under our present CAO/consultant? This is a person hired because of his experience and knowledge of municipal procedures. Is this the same person we want teaching our new CAO? How long do we continue to pay Mr. Phipps once the new CAO comes on board? Either yes you want him to stay on or no, you do not see the need? Your reasons are?

My approach would be the same, regardless of who I am dealing with. Policies and procedures. Transparency and accountability. Applied equally to all tax payers, without discrimination. Develop new policies and procedures with the new council, the administration and with public input. Make sure everyone understands them. Make sure everyone follows them. Make sure everyone reports on them. It is very easy when everyone does what they are supposed to, starting at the top.

This question begs many answers. I have not received my voter registration card yet. Perhaps Town Hall doesn’t want me to vote for change? I have been told that Mr. Marion has a lot of past experience and is quite competent as a Clerk. The question I have is, “Why did we have to hire another Clerk to do the Clerk’s job?” Perhaps I should ask why the full time Town Clerk wasn’t capable of running the election? The answer is clear job descriptions, policies, procedures and hiring practices. I’m sure there’s more that can be done, but I stand by what I’m campaigning on. It’s time to create some policies and procedures that will actually provide transparency and accountability, not pretend they already exist. If they do exist, why is no one following them? If they are following them, why do the citizens continue to receive no answers or progress?

This question seems more like statements of frustration than a question. I can relate. Without being elected or currently on council, I can’t properly address any of the statements. I do, like others, wonder why no one else on council can address these issues. If the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and councillors can’t confirm or deny these issues, why can’t they tell us why they can’t? This information should all be readily available to the public. If I am elected Mayor, it will be.