Plank 03 · Accountability
A City Hall that answers
Read the files. Explain the vote. Pick up the phone.
★ Read Before You Vote — a short brief at least 48 hours before every council meeting
I'm a teacher. I don't walk into a class without reading the material. I'll read every staff report before every vote — and I'll tell Ward 6 what it means before I decide. That's not revolutionary. That's the minimum.
The promise
What you can expect from this office, starting with the brief I publish before every vote.
What you should expect from me
Plain language before the meeting. How I voted — and why — after. An office that answers within two business days, with a real next step. If City Hall can't help, I'll say who can.
★ Read Before You Vote
- Before every council meeting: a short brief on Ward 6 items and major citywide items — what it is, what staff recommend, what it means here, and how I plan to vote.
- After every meeting: how I voted and why — including the votes I lost.
- Timing: posted at least 48 hours ahead for material public items available in time. Late addenda, emergencies, and confidential matters get a prompt update when legally possible.
- Cost: delivered within approved office resources, using this website and channels the City already funds.
That's not revolutionary. That's the minimum.
An office you can actually use
Two business days
Every new message gets a real reply with a next step — not a black hole.
What neighbours are raising
A monthly summary of what neighbours are raising — and what happened next. No private disputes aired.
Help speaking at Council
A simple how-to, plus office help to register and get ready if you want to delegate.
Follow the money and the data
Where your taxes actually land, and the records you should be able to check yourself.
Where your tax dollars show up
Burlington spends citywide and by corridor — not from a simple ward piggy bank. I'll publish a Ward 6 project list that shows mapped work and citywide programs that help north Burlington, in language you can follow. No blame-ranking charts.
Open data you can use
Burlington already has open data and eSCRIBE vote records. I'll push to make those systems easier to search and export: traffic and signals, maintenance tagging, development status by ward, and capital milestones you can follow without a FOI request.
How Council should work
Who decides what, and the meeting rhythm that keeps decisions in the open.
Council should govern
Strong Mayor powers come from the Province — one councillor can't repeal them alone. They haven't fixed the roads, recreation gaps, or open-government problems Ward 6 families talk about. I'll advocate at Queen's Park, support Council motions to curtail how those powers are used locally, and work with the full seven-member Council — Mayor and councillors — while publishing my votes.
The rhythm
- Monthly digest — major votes, Ward 6 impact, development highlights, what neighbours are raising.
- Quarterly deep dive — capital projects, delays, budget context, open files.
- Four public meetings — rotating neighbourhoods, using low-cost City/community rooms and existing online tools; attendance and actual cost published.
How it rolls out and what it costs
The sequence and the price tag — through the first hundred days and the rest of the term.
How it rolls out
Day one
- Read Before You Vote briefs
- 48-hour response standard
- Delegate how-to guide
- Monthly digest starts
This term
- Every vote posted with my reasoning
- Four hybrid town halls a year
- Monthly office hours across the ward
- Quarterly deep dive on capital and open files
Over the term
- Clear reporting on how Ward 6 benefits from citywide spending
- Push open data residents can actually use
- Make existing eSCRIBE vote records easier to search and export
- Better access for people who want to speak at Council
What it costs
Day 1 uses existing City systems and approved office resources. I'll publish actual event and printing costs rather than invent a new budget.
See the full cost table
| What | Cost | How it's paid for |
|---|---|---|
| Read Before You Vote briefs | Within office resources | Councillor time + existing website |
| 48-hour replies + monthly casework summary | Within office resources | How the office runs |
| Delegate how-to + registration help | Within office resources | How the office runs |
| Monthly digest | Within office resources | Email and social |
| Printed quarterly deep dives | Actual cost published | Digital first; limited printing within the office budget |
| Four hybrid town halls | Within approved office resources | Use City/community rooms and existing technology; publish actual cost |
| Searchable/exportable existing vote records | Staff-scoped | Use eSCRIBE first; no duplicate database |
| What | Cost | How it's paid for |
|---|---|---|
| Read Before You Vote briefs | Within office resources | Councillor time + existing website |
| 48-hour replies + monthly casework summary | Within office resources | How the office runs |
| Delegate how-to + registration help | Within office resources | How the office runs |
| Monthly digest | Within office resources | Email and social |
| Printed quarterly deep dives | Actual cost published | Digital first; limited printing within the office budget |
| Four hybrid town halls | Within approved office resources | Use City/community rooms and existing technology; publish actual cost |
| Searchable/exportable existing vote records | Staff-scoped | Use eSCRIBE first; no duplicate database |
Burlington already has eSCRIBE votes, open data, and meeting technology. Staff must scope any export, privacy, accessibility, or integration work before Council funds it.
First 100 days
- Publish office standards and start the monthly casework summary
- Publish the delegate how-to and start Read Before You Vote briefs
- Publish a “how to get help” guide (City / Region / Halton)
- Send the first monthly digest and set monthly office hours
- Host a Ward 6 budget town hall
- Ask staff for a Ward 6 capital project list that includes citywide benefits
- Set the format for quarterly deep-dive updates
- Name the top recurring neighbour concerns and who owns follow-up
- Draft a ward benefit-reporting motion for clerk review after I’m seated
Straight talk
How I intend to compete for the job, what I won’t claim, and how to hold me to it afterwards.
How I'll compete
Ward 6 needs preparation, follow-through, and respect — someone who explains decisions before they're made and publishes how they voted after. I'll contrast on plans, timelines, and what gets done. Not character attacks.
What I won't claim
- That I can override staff or skip Council process
- Outcomes on planning appeals I can't promise
- That Ward 6 is “officially underfunded” without the City publishing it that way
What I will do: publish timelines and push for the open reporting the City's own plans already point toward.
Hold me to it
A printable pledge card is coming. Until then, these commitments are the standard.
Campaign commitments for public discussion. Verify figures before paid media or legal review.