Municipal Election Day, October 25, 2010

It has been a fascinating 10 weeks and I wish to thank the wonderful electors of Ward 1 for their support and for their participation in this election process.

And best wishes and good luck to all Ajax candidates who chose to enter the local political arena.

Polling Stations open today at 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

In Ward 1, they are located at:

• Vimy Ridge Public School at 40 Telford Street
• Alexander Graham Bell Public School at 25 Hawkins Drive
• Lincoln Alexander Public School at 95 Church Street

A polling station has also been created at the Winbourne Park Long-term Care Centre and will be open from 10 a.m. to noon.

If you are a senior or disabled and need transportation to and from a Polling Station, call me at 905-686-6180.

Think Pink – Vote Katie!

Shifting the Residential Tax Burden with Common Sense

It comes down to the policies, vision, character, community and life experience, credibility and ethics – and how convincingly an individual candidate introduces his or her platform to electors.

Are common sense ideas, a vision and a mission to do a good job in representing Ward 1 enough to prevail on Polling Day on Monday?

Does a progressive, family-protective, business-oriented and green argument fit with the needs and sentiments of Ward 1 constituents?

My platform has been clearly laid out – and, with some modest sense of flattery, can say emulated by others in terms of policies put forward.

With great respect to my opponents, what differentiates my campaign from theirs is my stated position to challenge decisions by Town Council I feel are financially and socially detrimental to Ward 1 residents.

And for the record, I am advocating reasonable ideas where savings can be made from operations – for example, an examination of the Town’s spending of a million dollars annually in legal fees – toward improving the Town’s balance sheet.

The prevailing notion on Town Council that residential taxpayers continue to shoulder 88% of the Town’s and the Region’s operating costs is a disservice to its citizens.

How about a 75% and 25% target for a start? - the latter portion coming from a gradual shift to new business settlement in Ajax.

Despite the federal government’s claim the recession is over, I’m not seeing ANY sign of improvements in the overall quality of life in our communities. Are you?

Perhaps the first step towards moving forward would be for Ward 1 to point Town Council in a new direction through its Councillor.

A Different Vision

The lack of a strong, credible mayoral candidate with a different vision for Ajax has left the door open to four more years of a social-economic imbalance electors are pointing to for immediate action.

While our mayor deserves much credit for his vision since assuming office, times have changed. And so have the challenges of meeting our communities’ needs.

The lack of a strong opposition – in Ajax’s case, a strong alternate voice on Town Council – leaves residents with few options for moving towards a different vision that meets today’s needs e.g.:

-         policies that lead to sustainable, local job development

-         a complete re-think (in cooperation with three levels of government) for de-bottlenecking rush-hour traffic

-         fast-tracking the environmentally-sound provincial programs for smart growth – building up instead of out

-         creating safer communities affordably where neighbours are encouraged to look out for each other, instead of looking the other way, and ultimately;

-         lessening the tax burden on homeowners by moving towards well-defined and aggressive policies that encourage more businesses to establish in Ajax.

In the absence of a credible, alternate vision, it falls on Town Councillors to introduce options and policies that introduce those changes that residents are demanding.

When only 23% of Ajacians turned out to vote in the 2006 municipal election, it signalled something was desperately wrong in the relationship between electors and their local government.

The virtual acclamation next Monday of our mayor should give voters pause to think about the consequences of this accession by default.

People I’ve spoken to in Ward 1 these past nine weeks tell me they’re looking for someone capable of representing their ambitions on Town Council. I promise to do just that.

Accessibility and Accountability

As someone who lives less than 10 minutes from my business office, I was overwhelmed early this morning by the sheer volume of Ward 1 residents making their way to the GO station or to the 401 to get to work.

It takes an hour from the Ajax GO station to downtown, and that commute is even longer for residents working in Brampton, Mississauga or destinations not serviced by GO train.

Two things came to mind:

Eighty percent of Ajacians commute to work. There is an immediate need for high-paying jobs in our community. We need to attract new business and industry here. And we can do that if our Town Council stops paying lip service to this issue and votes to make it happen, using tax holidays as incentives. It is a simple cost of doing business and the long-term dividends to Ajax would be worth it.

Secondly, if elected, I was wondering how I could manage a full-time job and a part-time job as a Town Councillor – a job that has full-time responsibilities – if my day job was a two-hour commute to and from Ajax.

Because my commute is only 10 minutes from home, I shall be available and accountable to Ward 1 electors on a full-time basis.

Greater representation needed at the Region

There is a question on this year’s ballot regarding the election of a Regional Council Chair or the selection of the Chair by Regional Councillors.

I’m wondering why a second question couldn’t have been added to give force to Ajax’s dire need for a third councillor on Regional Council.

If we’re to be taxed without equal representation, clearly, we should be making a lot more noise given that 57% of our municipal tax levy flows into Regional coffers.

Policing, transportation, recycling, social and infrastructural services are as important to Ajax as they are to residents of Pickering, Whitby and Uxbridge.

Its not a matter of where numbers warrant – we’ve got the numbers – it’s a matter of politics at the senior decision-making level of Regional Council.

Its time for those key decision-makers on Regional Council to grow up, put aside personal and grudges if necessary –and give Ajax residents the representation they’ve earned!.  We need to put an end to the divisive and petty nonsense that diminishes the stature and credibility of an otherwise fine institution.

Ward 1 Electors are looking for change!!!!

There are five candidates vying to represent Ward 1. Therefore, a selection of which candidate is best qualified to argue the case for Ward 1 residents on Town Council must come down to trust, financial leadership and the ability to represent the best interests of constituents. 

I have been listening to you for the last two months and I’ve been making my platform known to you.

To those Ward 1 residents I haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, you might want to know that I am fiercely independent – if not strident, when it comes to the protection of our families, and that I am entirely independent of any "alliances or camps" which may or may not exist on Town Council.

During the next four years, if I am elected, I can promise this:

I shall not remain silent on your behalf if proposals are introduced to both Town Council and Regional Council if they appear to be detrimental to your family and to your financial interests.

Looking ahead, and looking at the state of the world around us, it makes no sense that our municipal government appears to be intent on perpetuating its fiscal policies that increase taxes each year instead of looking for economies from within.

Our Mayor, dismisses these kinds of overtures as part of an "anti-incumbent movement", but he offers no options, is a ‘late-comer’ to the notion of downtown re-development and has missed the boat entirely in terms of attracting job-creating, tax revenue-producing, clean industry that people of Ajax so desperately want from their local government. You need to find local jobs rather than drive to far side of Toronto to support your families!

Don’t get me wrong. Our Mayor has done an outstanding job in creating a wonderful place to live.

But the Mayor’s vision doesn’t reflect the vision that residents of Ward 1 have for Ajax!

With few exceptions, Ward 1 electors are looking for change – to bring some immediate balance that shifts some of the tax burden from the shoulders of residential taxpayers through a policy of rapid business expansion – even if that means closing deals with businesses via tax holidays as a means of attracting new, high-paying jobs to Ajax.

The social and financial benefits created by those jobs will have spinoff effects throughout our community – better transportation, higher residential housing prices and other consumer-driven investment.

Ultimately, it comes down to trust, financial leadership and the ability to represent the best interest of residents and their families in Ward 1.

WHO AM I?

Ten days from voting day and residents of Ward 1 appear to be more focused in their scrutiny of Town Council candidates.

A number of undecided electors have sent me their own questionnaires, some asking for specifics on my financial management, budgeting and business management background.

For the record, my professional background is in purchasing and financial management with a speciality in public sector purchasing & tendering for products, services and construction, including all related insurance and risk requirements. Recently, in the private sector, my speciality includes urban forest and construction project management on behalf of numerous municipal and private sector clients.

I have written public purchasing policy and procedures for three of Ontario’s largest school boards, a hospital and a town and have taught courses in the recovery of excise tax overpayments  – drawing them back into the public treasury.

Budgeting is one of my core financial strengths and I have an intimate understanding of budgetary structures – from inception to hierarchical spending, reporting requirements and audit.

I have written reports to Boards and Councils with recommendations for acceptance or rejection of tendered bids, based on price, references and overall value. I am also no stranger to recommending a project be postponed because of unacceptable costs, prevailing economic conditions and other contributing factors.

It was my job to ensure that adequate insurances (rather than over-insurance) requirements were attached to projects so that the costs related to a specific project would not include excessively high premiums built into the contract price.  It was my responsibility to ensure that certain matters of ‘due diligence’ was exercised prior to the award of ANY tendered bid.

Ultimately, I was the designated “gate keeper” to the formal contracting and purchasing functions for the spending of millions of taxpayer dollars. So, looking for “fat” in our Town’s operating budget is a priority in representing Ajax

One of my priorities will be to review our Town’s budget for 2011 and identify items of duplication or redundancy so that we do not continue to budget for things we simply can’t afford.  Opportunities exist to review ‘single source’ vendors, spending thresholds at departmental levels, certain existing costly bureaucratic Town-wide initiatives and programs and simply, other ‘routine expenditures’ that need to be meticulously reviewed.

Rights & Freedoms We Take for Granted

It was saddened yesterday to discover some newcomers to Ajax live in fear of offending municipal authorities and are completely unaware of their rights and privileges as Canadians.

To wit: An election sign was removed unilaterally by an overzealous bylaw enforcement officer from the lawn of one my supporters. She called me and asked to have the sign replaced. I asked why she didn’t call Town Hall to have it returned. She said she didn’t want to get into trouble or create a situation with authorities.

Later, a similar situation arose where one of my opponents - or someone on his/her behalf - had placed a campaign sign on the lawn of one of my supporters. Through an interpreter, I learned that the homeowner was fearful of drawing attention to themselves from municipal officials and decided not to call Town authorities.

I reminded the homeowners this is Canada.  We do not have an authoritarian regime in power and that we have a constitution that protects their rights from governmental abuse of power.  We also have freedom of speech & expression and are protected by the Charter of Rights.

Those rights that we as Canadians take for granted are ‘virgin territory’ for some newcomers.  The Town of Ajax provides services for newcomers in partnership with the Region through the Community Development Council Durham (CDCD).

CDCD can be reached by telephone at 905-686-2661 and is located at

138 Commercial Avenue, Ajax, ON L1S 2H5

.

If you know someone who is unfamiliar with their rights and privileges and has recently settled in Ajax, I would urge you to direct them to the CDCD to provide them with information that might bring some comfort and relief.

Canada, and Ajax, in particular, are thriving examples of a living democracy. No one need live in fear of government in our community.

Into the Home Stretch

Hoping Ward 1 and all Ajax residents enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend.

It was interesting speaking with electors during the last several days, discussing issues and promoting my candidacy. I like canvassing. And in particular, enjoy those discussions leading ultimately, to a decision to support of my candidacy.

With just under two weeks left until polling day, my aim, clearly, is to offer up a choice to voters by making a convincing case based on:

• Real experience in the working world that includes the financial management of public funds; project management and due diligence; costing out and contracting based upon those principles of value for taxpayers’ money and accountability.

• Communicating complex proposals and projects to simple terms.

• Finding, or creating solutions through consensus and negotiation.

• An understanding of municipal tax structures and public spending, and ultimately, the financial and social costs to families living in Ajax today.

I understand that some of my opponents take issue with my position to target a zero % tax increase. But I also understand the changing face of Ajax where more and more taxpayers are required to stretch their family budgets even further to meet their financial requirements.

Aiming for a zero percent tax increase doesn’t mean taxes will vanish. It means buying some time to take a long, hard look at the Town’s spending; holding the line on incurring more debt until we can find new sources of business tax revenue.

That said, small and medium-sized business are struggling too under the weight of local taxes, rising administrative costs, regulatory obligations and insurance costs.

It will be interesting this year to see the composition of the next Town Council. 

A possible look to the future?

For anyone who might have missed it, North American, European and Asian economies are swimming in a sea of debt. Even Ajax is in debt.

The minister of finance tells us the days of financial boom are over and we, as a nation, are going to be faced with, or forced to deal with this new reality. This includes Ajax.

What might this mean to Ajax? Here’s what we might expect:

• a focus on debt reduction
• spending cuts and possible civil service layoffs 
• municipal 'belt-tightning'

As federal spending diminishes, it trickles down eventually to squeeze funding from provincially-administered healthcare, social programs, housing and transportation programs among others.

Has anyone noticed a decline in the cost of food, medicine, gasoline, bank lending rates, GO passes, electricity and other utilities charges? I haven’t.

The rise in our property tax rate was set by the current council and remains at 2.75%. The Town is preparing to incur more debt, and, at the end of the day, little room is left to cut services any further if the current spending programs will remain.

If a  zero percent tax target is attainable, we need to take a long, hard, serious look at Ajax spending and dig a little deeper into the books to discover where we can achieve savings.

If our finance minister’s comments are a signal that austerity measures are in the works to reduce the debt, we as a Town, should be looking to the future to buffer ourselves from that trickle down pain that is surely coming our way.

Seeking a Mandate from Ward 1

The election process requires two things that a candidate gives voters. We need to give voters a reason for their votes.  In return, voters give their Councillor a mandate to represent their interests, even if it means challenging the Mayor’s position to protect and promote Ward 1 interests.

There are five candidates vying to represent Ward 1. Therefore, a selection of which candidate is best qualified to argue the case for Ward 1 residents on Town Council must come down to trust, financial leadership and the ability to represent the residents in THEIR best interests. 

At each Council meeting, the Councillor for Ward 1 has the same voting rights as the Mayor. The Mayor has one vote; Municipal and Ajax Regional Councillors each have one vote. The Mayor, of course, has the additional duties of leadership and serves as the Council’s director with Town Staff.

And after visiting nearly 3,000 homes to date, three issues dominate voters’ election agenda.

They are:

• Our Increasing taxation and value for money
• The urgent need to create local jobs to be closer to home and family
• The need for greater Council accountability and responsiveness to taxpayers

For the record, it is Town Council that electors charge as their supreme authority of our municipal government. Mayor Parish has one vote.

As a candidate, I’m asking Ward 1 residents to be their representative and spokesperson on Town Council with their direction to:

1. Enter a motion at Council to target a 0 % tax increase over the next four years!
2. Offer reasonable incentives to corporations looking to establish large, job-creating business centres in Ajax  with long-term benefits for the Town!
3. Scrutinize Council spending proposals with a view to eliminating additional burdens to Ward 1 taxpayers.
4. Find the resolve to say NO to Council proposals that defy common sense during these times of global and national economic decline, and;
5. Maintain an open line of communications with Ward 1 electors that is meaningful, honest and transparent in order to promote our community’s views and needs on Town Council.

If Ward 1 residents believe these five points constitute a mandate – a contract – between us, then I’m asking for your vote.

Our greatest assets in Ajax are our residents!

Thanks to all residents who fed me goodies this weekend. Your generosity was much appreciated. The curried goat, roti, pre-thanksgiving turkey, fresh brownies and hot tea were awesome. I door knocked about 1500 houses this weekend and that helped to walk off the calories.

But the content of today’s blog is also about hardship. Canvassing this weekend brought home the hard, cold realities of this enduring recession. Two homeowners I met Sunday - both had lost their jobs. They have little choice but to sell up and leave Ajax.

And along the way, I met a woman who told me point blank, she simply couldn’t afford the taxes on her property where the market value of her home had declined, but her tax bill had advanced by $2400 over the last four years.

Our greatest assets in Ajax are our residents! Residents have less money left in their pockets every week to support and feed their families. Although things look rosy on the outside of the street, inside our homes, our residents and having tougher times these days! Given the impending crush of a prolonged economic downtown, perhaps Town Council may need to reconsider its spending plans over the next four years.

I said Sunday that Ajax has been spending money like there is no recession. Perhaps its time we had a long, hard look at targeting a zero percent tax increase and at the same time, take a much more detailed discovery of where to find savings and trim fat where it exists without trimming necessary services.

The ‘red tape’ at the Town is securely in place and it costs us dearly every year – maybe, there’s a little too much red tape? Maybe, there are a few things we can do without?

Amazing Ward 1 Generosity!

Three weeks and two days from today Ajax votes.

It continues to amaze me how generous electors in Ward 1 have been to me during the last three weeks. I really want to thank all of you for your hospitality and the kindness you’ve shown me.

Saturday, for example, after 6 hours of door knocking, the offers of a bathroom and a cup of tea on a cool day were unexpected and wholly welcome.

And it’s those unexpected events along the way that provide those insights into people’s nature. Like the gentleman that was adamant he was he was not getting involved in the election, but after considering my vigorous rebuttal, not only agreed to vote,  but asked for a campaign sign for his lawn! Thank you sir!   

And it’s the unsolicited offers from church leaders of a venue to hold future community Town Hall meetings in Ward 1. 

And it’s witnessing first hand that a smile and a kind word can motivate people to help a less fortunate and unknown neighbour.

People of Ajax will always have their differences. That’s just natural. Those differences however, are the threads that bind us together as a community, and as a community of communities. And that’s where we’ll find solutions to present to the next Town Council.

New Comers to Ajax

As the child of immigrant parents, I know what obstacles my mother and father faced – a new country, a new language , the challenges of finding employment and finding their way through a maze of social obstacles – those things we take for granted.

For example, who do we turn to for advice on finding work - and, if we find work, how do we get there?

Ajax, to its credit, does a pretty good job in providing orientation assistance to newcomers looking to start a new life in Canada.

One of the most important services available to newcomers to Ajax – and to Canada, for that matter - is the Community Development Council of Durham (CDCD).

CDCD has different programs that cater to the needs of immigrants like language instruction; helping new residents adapt to life in Ajax and employment counselling; introductions to youth programs, transportation and community services, and; services to assist in dealing with municipal, provincial and federal agencies.

CDCD can be contacted by telephone at 905-686-2661 and additional information on their range of services can be found on their website at http://www.cdcd.org/

The Town of Ajax also provides a translation line service in Portuguese, Tamil, Arabic, Dari, Tagalog, Hindi, Farsi, Spanish, Mandarin and Urdu.

It can be accessed at 905-427-8811. The Town’s website, in my opinion, is one of the best municipal sites in Canada. It can be found at http://www.townofajax.com/

If you know of someone who needs assistance settling into life in Ajax, please let them know these services are available to them.

Something new to offer

Convincing electors you have something new to offer them, or perhaps a new approach to politics at Ajax Town Council can be a daunting challenge.

Ward 1 voters’ are frustrated.  The issues?  They include taxation and value for money; the lack of availability of a good job closer to home, and;  the perception of the absence of accountability and transparency in the taxpayer-councillor relationship.

When you start stacking those other tax realities – the burden of the HST, for example, business and property taxes and personal income taxes on top of those indirect provincial taxes - and people start thinking, is this as good as it gets? What's left for my family?

So, what are some possible solutions?

Why are we so willing to accept repeated property tax increases? This year it is 2.75%. Our net incomes aren’t rising to meet those increases? Our families need more money to make ends meet.

What’s wrong with targeting a ZERO% tax increase over the next four years?

Why can’t we put a hold on some of our intended spending until we get the Town’s financial house in balance with our own?

People who know me know that I’m not shy about introducing common sense into problem-solving discussions. I believe that common sense, in an effort to retain more money in our wallets for our families, may just be that “new thing” people haven’t seen in Ajax for some time.

Closing the Deal

I attended the Saturday September 25/10 grand opening of Supreme Auto Group’s new  Bayley street facility. Congratulations on Supreme’s monumental achievement!

The mayor, councillors and members of the business community were on hand to participate in the event.

And I thought, as much as we need to attract more small and medium-sized businesses to Ajax, why has it taken our Town Council so long to come around to realizing the dire importance of encouraging business to establish here?

For over a decade, the Town of Ajax has been campaigning to entice businesses to come to Ajax. We have spent and plan to continue to spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote Ajax.

That’s all well and good. But it’s NOT enough.

The Town of Ajax is a corporation. A business. And we – the taxpayers – are its shareholders.

Like any successful business enterprise, the key to success is closing the deal. How many times have the taxpayers of Ajax been undermined by a Town administration because we can’t close the deal and land new business?

Why can’t we compete with other municipalities? Given the intense competition and rivalry among Ontario municipalities for attracting new business, Ajax isn’t even in the game.

We generate business interest, but we can’t manage to execute contracts with international and national business organizations. Where is our business appetite? What incentives are we offering? Can we learn from the successes of other municipalities?

I know electors in Ward 1 want new business for two main reasons. They are:

1. To ease their current tax burden to keep more money in their wallets, and;
2. To provide an option to the Toronto commute to enable them to spend more time with their families.

Contact me if you feel the way I do.

My Remarks at the CDCD Candidates Debate last night

Good evening. My name is Katie Kortekaas and I’d like to thank the CDCD – the organizers of this evening’s debate for the opportunity to present my views.

I’d like to thank all the people who turned out tonight. I’m here to ask you for your vote.

And here’s why.

What’s missing in Ajax is financial leadership. Taxation and spending is eroding the quality of life for our families!

I say this as a wife, mother, grandmother and a resident of Ward 1 for the last 26 years.

The financial cost to our families, because of our quiet acceptance of tax increases year after year, are affecting our ability to meet our families’ daily needs.

You folks are like my family, and like any family facing major financial decisions, the time has come to do something about our mutual problem. Its FAMILY CONFERENCE TIME!

Taxes are up 2.5% this year. Add this to the 10% tax rise during the last four years!

Utility costs are up over 11%, food and transportation and other services cost more, but our salaries haven’t caught up to those increases.

So, what’s wrong with targeting a zero percent tax increase?

We need financial leadership!

Our tax dollars are stretched to the limit yet our town is in debt.

Our Town’s long-term development plan has been laid out for us by our last council and it looks toward going even further in debt to build more facilities, incurring more operating costs.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The recession started two years ago. Jobs have been lost and many households have been reduced to single incomes.

The Town’s lost revenues have not been offset by new sources of business, commercial, industrial, tourism or other non-residential tax sources.

Like any reasonable family approaching a spending decision, we stop and take a look at what’s in the bank and what our obligations are.

We assess money-in and money-out before we take on more obligations.

For example, when you get your VISA bill, you know exactly what you’ve spent your money on. When you get your TAX BILL, you’re not sure if you got value for your money!

After a 30-year career in public finance positions, and in particular, as a gatekeeper and watchdog on public spending, I know that right now, we need to open the books to eliminate waste, inefficiencies and duplication of spending.

We need to cut back our operating costs, and reconsider our future spending.

Our Town is fully prepared to build yet another facility instead of considering and using existing facilities which have already been paid for out of our taxes – our magnificent  schools.

Our schools are rich in space and facilities. They sit in the middle of our neighbourhoods and are largely underused after school hours, on weekends and during the summer.

Our tax dollars have paid for them and we continue to pay utilities for them year round.

What better place to use for our own community recreation and meeting spaces – especially for our youth and seniors. Can you think of a better place to get to know your neighbours?

We simply can’t afford to keep spending and not use what we have!

Our families’ lives are directly affected by our incomes – and no one has the money to throw at the duplication of expenses.

Our tax dollars MUST be used more efficiently. Looking at paring down operating expenses is a reasonable place to start.

Multi-purpose use of ALL public buildings is essential. Let’s start thinking outside the box. The world has changed and so have we.

Making better use of schools and other public facilities in my view, is a first step toward municipal financial rationalization and I challenge other communities in Ontario, and Canada to incorporate some creative municipal pioneering into their planning.

People who know me know I have a reputation for getting results.

So, if you’re with me – that taxation and spending need to be reigned in to protect our families – I want your vote.

Thank you.

Ward 1 Council Debate Tonight

I read in the News Advertiser this morning that only 12 people turned out for the Mayoral Debate between Ms. Clymer and Mr. Parish.

Have the people of Ajax become so disengaged with local politics they’ve washed their hands of any need to get involved?

Or is it because so many Ajacians are locked into meeting their own schedules of work; the commute home; feeding the kids, or; booting up their computers when they get home to continue work left over from their day at the office, among other things.

We’re heading toward 2011 folks. If technology could broadcast coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics around the world in HD, surely the organizers of the debate might have found a way to stream the Mayoral Debate into every home in Ajax with an internet connection.

If you want a first-hand opportunity to meet your candidates for Ward 1 Councillor, the debate begins this evening at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Alexander Public School on Church Street.

Let's not forget our Seniors!

It saddens me that we sometimes tend to forget one of our most valuable community resources – our seniors.

I received an email yesterday from a senior in Ward 1. His comments go directly to my election platform of supporting and promoting our families!

Many families have multi-generational households where the welfare of the young and the old are of equal concern. Our family units differ from household to household. Many are multi-generational. Our families are not just dealing with getting our kids to swimming lessons – but, also with our parents and community elders and their activities. Many of our seniors are still able to participate in recreation and social activities..

Let’s look at the world beyond Ajax for examples of how to treat our community elders! In some parts of Canada and Western Europe, local and national governments treat seniors with greater respect and appreciation for their contributions. They are not forgotten. They are a resource. They are our mentors and can offer much to the younger generations.

For example, seniors are provided subsidized housing, food allowances; free or very cheap public transportation and they have huge concessions and reductions on paying taxes after age 65. With an aging population, this is a huge challenge.

Obviously, the answer will not happen overnight. It will take years to meet such a challenge. BUT, there are things we can do at the local Ajax and Regional level to accommodate their needs in making retirement a little easier.

Simple things:  like extending bus services between St. Andrews Seniors Centre in Ward 3 to connect with the seniors living in Wards 1, 2 and 4.

We, as a community and a Region, have gone to great lengths to provide activities, which I understand are greatly appreciated by seniors who use the St. Andrews facilities.

We also have another un-tapped resource that we have already paid for! We need to start the communication process to use our schools as the local drop-in center for senior’s activities and as a ‘place to go’! We could have a "seniors spot" in every school! Most of us live 4-5 blocks away from our neighbourhood school or are we blind to this resource?

It is sad to hear that many seniors have no choice but to pay a $10 taxi charge to get home because they missed the last bus. They could walk home!

Trust must be earned

My large, magenta-coloured, recyclable campaign signs are up in Ward 1 and my smaller, bio-degradable lawn signs will start going up this week.

I’m encouraged by the support Ward 1 electors have shown towards me and look forward to representing them on Town Council.

My canvassing tours of Ward 1 neighbourhoods have given me an opportunity to fully appreciate the diversity of issues and opinions and especially your suggestions for improving the relationship between taxpayers and our Town Council.

I am amazed at the overwhelming amount of goodwill and generosity of our neighbourhoods, even among residents whose fortunes have declined because of circumstances beyond their control.

One of the recurring questions asked of me is: Are you going to be another one of the politicians who has little contact with the taxpayers after the election?

My answer is: If elected, I would not only have a mandate, but a moral obligation to represent and protect the interests of Ward 1 electors and would vote in a way that serves their interests and needs.

Trust, in all forms, must be earned. And I plan to earn that trust.

Thanks for your opinions!

It’s just five weeks away from the municipal election.  I’ve personally visited about 1500 homes in Ward 1 to introduce myself and find out what’s on YOUR minds.

People have been asking, “what would possess anyone to run for city council?”

Short answer: The burden of municipal taxation is eating away money that supports our families. 

It’s eroding our ability to meet our daily living needs; food, clothing, utilities and services costs. We pay some of the highest taxes in the GTA and as a taxpayer; I’m looking for value for money – same as you!

I’m running because I believe I can make a difference for and on behalf of Ward 1 electors. I am running so there is a strong voice at council to represent YOU, your families and your issues.

I have 30 years of professional experience as a financial ‘watchdog and gatekeeper’ for the spending of public funds. I know how to look for cost savings and I’m looking for ways to lowering our taxes.

Small Community, BIG HEART

You meet the nicest people in Ajax!

I was out canvassing again last night and met a woman, stricken with grief over her husband’s terminal illness, mounting bills, isolation and worrying about her uncut lawn that might be upsetting her neighbours, of all things. Her lawnmower had broken down and she had no means of fixing it.

As it happened, several houses away, a gentleman was out mowing his lawn. I introduced myself to him and we got talking. I asked him if he knew of his neighbour’s situation and he said he didn’t. He immediately volunteered to help her and proceded to push his lawn mower down the street to her house and mowed her lawn!

So, to him, and others like that very kind gentleman, THANK YOU!

Ajacians really do have a BIG heart.

More tomorrow

Vote Katie Kortekaas Ward 1 Ajax

People in Ward 1 tell me they are looking for change. They’re also looking for someone to show leadership, compassion, empathy and accessibility – characteristics that go to trust.

One of the best features of campaigning for Town Councillor in Ward 1 is getting out and meeting my neighbours – the electors who’ll decide on October 25^th which candidate they trust to represent them for the next four years.

There are some 17,000 eligible voters in Ward 1, and I’ll try my best to introduce myself personally to you over the next six weeks.

I have a vision and plan I believe can bring our communities together – taking some first small, realistic steps towards resolving those priority issues which everyone complains about, but no one has actually done anything about.

My family, my friends, colleagues and business clients know that I’m someone who works hard to achieve results. When I give you my word, it is my bond and I expect to be held to those promises I make. That is my way and that is who I am.

I believe in the strength of the family and the dignity of the individual – all individuals.

Like many of you, I am the child of immigrant parents who worked hard to make a better life for their children. Since graduating university I have lived and worked in other communities but Ajax, and Ward 1 in particular, has been my home for 26 years. And like you, my home requires both parents to work to meet our family’s needs and our other financial obligations.

I’ve also had the privilege of serving Ajax on six public committees or boards, and my professional background includes financial administration. Today, I’m a professional arborist and practice in an environmental consultancy.

My campaign theme is: “Protecting and Promoting the Family”

Taxes, crime, political accountability, education, the environment and other local issues are all linked to the quality of our lives. They have a direct impact on our families’ lives.

Like you, I’m looking for value – a return on the tax investment we continue to make in Ajax – and I plan to seek ways of lowering our taxes while improving the delivery of services to residents.

Improved childcare, better transportation services, safer streets are linked directly to Ajax’s partnerships with our Regional Council and the provincial government.

During the coming weeks, I’ll be introducing specific economic and social proposals – alone, and in partnership with the region and the province, to meet the issues we’re facing now in our Town.

In the meantime, I look forward to meeting with you with a plan to introduce ourselves to each other. We need to start solving our problems in the community, for the community.

Call me or email me if you’d like to talk.

More tomorrow.

Katie