If You Feel Like Government Isn't Built for People Like Us, I Get It.

In Orangeville's last municipal election, only 26.93% of eligible voters cast a ballot.
That means 73.07% didn't.
I don't believe that means 73% of Orangeville doesn't care.
I think it tells us something else.

Too many people are simply too busy, too stretched or too disconnected from local government to participate in the way our current system expects them to.

Think about what life looks like for many of us.

• You commute two, three or even four hours a day.

• You have a demanding job.

• You come home and there is dinner to make, homework to help with and kids to get to soccer, hockey, dance or other activities.

• You're trying to keep up with the mortgage or rent, property taxes and rising household costs. You check your bank account twice before a bill comes out because you're not completely sure what's going to be left.

• Maybe you're working a second job.

• Maybe you're helping support aging parents.

• Maybe you're simply exhausted.

And then we're told that if we want a say in our community, we need to find the time to follow council meetings, read agendas, understand municipal reports, attend meetings and speak up. For many people, that's just not realistic. That's a representation problem.

I've been thinking about something Scott Galloway (Clinical professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business) discussed: Who gets represented when some groups participate in our institutions more consistently than others? When participation isn't evenly distributed, the people who have the time end up having a disproportionate influence. It's because they're the ones in the room.

I will change that!

My mission: Reconnect the people who aren't typically in the room

I want to explore a more modern model of municipal representation. Imagine being able to see what Council is considering, understand the issue in plain language, share your perspective and follow what your representative ultimately decided. Imagine being able to comment on issues before Council without having to rearrange your entire life.

Imagine having a simple way to see:

• What is Council voting on?

• What are residents saying?

• What are the arguments?

• How did my councillor vote?

• Why?

• And then being able to respond.

That's the kind of democratic participation I will work toward. Calgary demonstrates that municipalities can create more accessible ways for residents to provide input. Orangeville can explore what a modern version of that could look like here.

Automate the Behaviour We Want to See

We shouldn't build a system that assumes people will suddenly have more time. We should build participation into the way people already live. Don't ask people to become political insiders. Bring government closer to them.

If This Sounds Like You, You're My People.

• Commuting for hours.

• Raising kids.

• Working a demanding job.

• Juggling extracurriculars.

• Trying to keep food on the table.

• Working a second job.

• Worried about housing/taxes.

• Helping your parents.

If you care about Orangeville but don't have hours every week to devote to municipal politics.

I see you.

And I don't think you should have to choose between taking care of your family and having a voice in the community you call home.

That's Who I'm Running For.

I'm not asking you to become more politically engaged. I'm running to make politics more accessible to you. Because representation shouldn't belong only to the people who have the time to show up. It should belong to all of us. Let's bring the 73% back into the conversation. Let's make it easier to have a say.