Last Call to Vote

Monday, October 25th is election day. Many of you will have already completed and mailed in your ballots. If you have not yet done this, I encourage you to take the time to deliver your ballot personally to the Township office in Port Severn. As long as you deliver your ballot prior to 7:45 p.m. on Monday the 25th, your vote will be counted.

Note: There is a mail slot to the left of the main doors of the Township office if you decide to drop off your ballot over the weekend. Make sure to complete your hand delivered ballot in the same way you would had you mailed it in – a video tutorial can be found on the left hand side of this blog.

As my campaign wraps up, there are a few important acknowledgements that I would like to make. First, I must thank my family for their support throughout the campaign. A campaign takes some endurance and would have been difficult without, in particular, Anita’s amazing help. Also, along the way, I have been assisted by so many supportive constituents, neighbours and friends. I cannot thank you all enough.

As always, I have been impressed by the voters for their support, interest and commitment to their community. I appreciated having had the opportunity to meet many of you face-to-face and to respond to your thoughtful questions and concerns.

In a recent CBC radio documentary about the quality of great leadership, it was noted that when we speak about leadership we often focus on the “I.” However, the program went on to assert that a leader cannot lead without a group willing to follow. Hence, leadership is in actuality more about the “we.” Hopefully Monday will bring me the privilege of working for another four years as your Mayor. If this is the case, I am eager for us to be again working together to improve the quality of life in our township for all residents.

Leadership is the Issue

I recently reviewed one of my campaign posters from 2006. At that time I stated that “Leadership is the issue.” I believe that this is still the issue but it must be viewed from a parallel issue of change. I promised change and there has been positive and dramatic change to the benefit of the Township and its residents over the last four years.

Without an effective leader this would not have been accomplished.

I served in the military many years. I learned the importance of some fundamental qualities of leadership – its value and the responsibility it brings – responsibility not just for the welfare but the lives of people who depend on you. Principles of honour, trust, courage and fear are real. There is no room for fakes in the military and they do not last long. In my civilian career I found these same qualities were a key to success in business and I have reinforced my beliefs through my four years as your mayor.

To be a leader is to be optimistic, to consult with people, to feed back to people, to have a plan and to know how to execute that plan. In this campaign I have looked to the future and presented a plan as I believe it should be, at this time. For more information about where I hope to see our Township heading in the future, please visit the "Campaign Platform" page listed above.

As a leader I believe in focusing on the positive and I do not find it productive or helpful to engage in negative politics. I do not engage in “smear” campaigns nor do I respond to anonymous information.

I believe that each candidate should be judged on their record and evaluated on their own merit. I am not nor will I be part of a slate of candidates. I have too much respect for the voters and therefore believe they can make up their own minds based on their knowledge of the respective candidate.

Out and About in MacTier

This Thanksgiving weekend, Eleanor Pettit (District and Area Candidate for Wards 1 and 2) and I hosted a barbecue for constituents in MacTier. We were assisted by Councillor Tracey Fitchett, her husband Steve, Anita and Bill Pettit. The weather was grand, the dogs were delicious, and we were delighted with the turnout!

For more pictures from this event, please visit the "Portrait Gallery" listed above.

From left to right: Eleanor Pettit, Jim Walden, Anita Walden, Bill Pettit.

A Distinguished Leadership Record

This weekend Anita and I took a little time away from campaigning to go to London, Ontario, where I presented an award created in my honour. As always, it was very inspiring to meet with the vibrant young student leaders at the University of Western Ontario.

Presenting The Jim Walden Leadership Award to Andrew Beach.

Information about the award: The Jim Walden Leadership Award was established in 2001 on the occasion of Jim's retirement from the University Students' Council (USC). It was created to honour Jim's outstanding ten-year career with the USC. The ten Boards of Directors with whom Jim worked took the initiative to establish the award that is sponsored by the University Students' Council Alumni Chapter. The award is presented each year at Homecoming to a graduating student who has served the USC over at least three years but not in an executive capacity. The recipient will have shown leadership qualities and commitment to the mission of the University Students’ Council and is chosen by his/her peers, the outgoing Executive of the USC at the end of their term.