When I decided to run for Mitchell Ward council, I put my personal cell phone number right on my campaign material: 226-457-2959. A few people have asked me why. The honest answer is that I couldn’t think of a reason not to.
I grew up in Mitchell. My wife Abbey teaches at Mitchell District High School, and we’re raising our young son here. When you live in a town this size, you don’t stop being somebody’s representative when you leave the council chamber. You’re reachable at the arena, at the ball diamond, at the grocery store — and honestly, that’s the way it should be. Representation isn’t a meeting every other week. It’s being present for the people who asked you to do the job.
For me, that means you’re welcome to call or text if something’s on your mind. It means I’ll knock on doors and show up where people actually are, not just where the microphone is. And it means when you raise something with me, you won’t have to wonder whether it went anywhere.
Let me be straight about the limits, too. I’m a councillor, not municipal staff. If you call about a bylaw complaint, a drainage issue, or a burned-out streetlight, I can’t fix it myself overnight — and anyone who promises you that isn’t being honest with you. What I can do is take down your concern, bring it to the right people at the municipal office, follow up on it, and report back to you on where it stands. That’s not a workaround. That’s what the role actually is: your voice inside the building.
I also won’t pretend I’ll agree with everyone, or that every decision will go the way you hope. But you’ll always be able to reach me, and you’ll never have to guess whether I heard you.
That’s the deal I’m offering. If you have a question, a concern, or just want to talk about where Mitchell is headed, call or text me at 226-457-2959. I’ll answer.