Every candidate in this race will tell you they’ll listen. I will too, but I want to be straight with you about something: listening is only half of it. The other half is what happens after you speak.
Here’s the problem I keep hearing about across West Perth. A resident emails council about a pothole, a bylaw question, a development on their street — and hears nothing back. Not a no. Not a “we’re looking into it.” Just silence. One unanswered email doesn’t feel like much from the council chamber, but from your kitchen table it feels like nobody cares. That’s how trust in local government erodes — not through one bad decision, but through a hundred small moments where people felt ignored.
I watched it happen at scale this spring. On April 7, residents filled a public meeting about a proposed 216-unit development here in Mitchell — stacked townhouses, 324 parking spaces, on about six acres between Frank Street and Clayton Street. Neighbours lined up to raise traffic, parking, snow storage, stormwater, schools at capacity, and childcare waitlists. Council made no decision that night, and residents went home thinking their input would shape what came next. Then, on April 20, council approved it anyway. No vote count was recorded in the meeting. I don’t raise this to relitigate one project or point at any one person around that table. I raise it because it’s the cleanest example I’ve seen of the gap between “we held a public meeting” and “residents were heard.” When people show up in those numbers and the outcome doesn’t even come with a recorded count, they conclude the meeting was theatre. Fixing that is what this post is about.
So here’s my commitment, and I want it in writing: if I’m elected, I will respond to every resident message. Every email, every text, every call. Not always with the answer you want, and not always right away — sometimes I need to check with staff or read a report first. But you will hear back from me.
That’s also why my personal cell phone number is on my campaign materials: (226) 457-2959. I grew up in Mitchell, Abbey teaches at Mitchell District High School, and we’re raising our family here. When I say I want to be reachable, I mean it literally. If you see an issue on your street, you shouldn’t have to figure out the right form to fill out. You should be able to text your councillor.
But I don’t think responsiveness should depend on which person happens to be sitting in the chair. That’s why, if I’m elected, I’ll bring forward a motion to set a formal standard: resident emails to council get acknowledged within a clear, reasonable timeframe. Not a full answer on complex files overnight — that’s not realistic — but an acknowledgement that your message was received, who’s looking at it, and when you can expect a real response. “No more unanswered emails” shouldn’t be a campaign slogan. It should be a rule.
And I want to close the loop in the other direction too. Right now, if you want to know what council decided last month, you have to dig through meeting minutes written for staff, not residents. Busy people — parents getting kids to hockey, people working shifts — don’t have time for that. So I’ll publish a monthly council roundup in plain language: what was decided, what it costs, and what it actually means for Mitchell families. No jargon, no spin. Just the decisions and the reasoning, in words anyone can read in five minutes.
Here’s the thing about all of this: it’s measurable. You don’t have to take my word for any of it. If I’m elected and I stop responding, you’ll know. If the roundups stop coming, you’ll notice. That’s exactly the point. A promise you can check is worth more than a promise you can’t.
So test me now, before the election, while I’m still asking for your vote. Call or text me at (226) 457-2959, or message me through Facebook or my Website. Ask me the hard question you’ve been sitting on. I’ll respond — and I’d be honoured to earn one of your three votes for Mitchell Ward council.