Over the last four budgets, the Town of Grimsby's portion of your property tax went up 5.97%, 5.2%, 5.88% and 4.7%. Compounded, that is roughly 23% in four years. Inflation over the same stretch compounded to about 12%. The part of your bill that council controls grew at close to twice the cost of living.

Some of that spending was necessary, including hospital debt and infrastructure that had been left too long.

But four straight years well above inflation is a pattern, not bad luck.

My standard is simple. I will support increases to the Town's portion at or below the rate of inflation. That is a ceiling, not a starting point.

Holding that line means saying no at the council table, in public, with an explanation. It does not mean putting off roads and water mains, because a delayed repair is just a bigger bill later for the same households.

It does mean doing the harder work of looking at how the money already gets spent:

• A line by line review of the operating budget and future budgets, not just the year over year change

• A service delivery review, so we know what each service costs per resident and how that compares to towns our size

• Testing the market on contracts instead of renewing out of habit

• No consultant study funded without an implementation plan and someone responsible for it

This is not about cutting the services you rely on. It is about making sure your dollars actually reach them.

When I knock on doors in Ward 2, I ask a simple question: where will our kids live?

Detached homes in Grimsby now list for close to $1.1 million. Kids who grew up here are looking at listings in other towns because they cannot afford to stay. Seniors who want to downsize and stay near their friends, church and doctor are running out of options. There is too little between a family home and nothing at all.

Grimsby needs more of the in-between: townhomes, smaller homes, purpose-built rentals, secondary suites, and homes designed for people to age in place.

Council cannot build that on its own. It happens when the Town works with builders and developers early and in good faith, with clear expectations about what the community needs. My approach is straightforward. A real mix of housing at more than one price point, in exchange for approvals that are clear, predictable and do not drag on for years.

Growth also has to happen in the right places. The Town's plan directs most new density toward the future GO station area and our downtown, with gentle change in established neighbourhoods that respects their character. I support that balance. And the roads, pipes and services have to keep pace, so growth strengthens the town instead of straining it.

A town is its people, not its buildings. I want the kids who grew up in Grimsby to be able to raise their own families here.

Niagara welcomes more than 13 million visitors a year who spend around $2.4 billion. Most of them drive past Grimsby on the QEW without stopping.

We have the Escarpment, the Bruce Trail, Beamer Memorial, Grimsby Beach, the front door to Twenty Valley wine country, and two downtowns. What we do not have is a plan that anyone is actually implementing.

The Town already paid $50,000 for a tourism strategy. A key recommendation was to hire a coordinator to put it into action. That did not happen. A strategy with no owner, no budget and no timeline is just a document in a drawer.

Tourism is one of the few kinds of growth that helps a town without adding to its tax bill. Visitors spend money in our shops, restaurants and wineries, then go home. They do not need new schools or new water capacity. In Ontario, every $1 million visitors spend supports about 13 jobs.

This is the file I know best, having served on the board of Destination Ontario and formerly sitting on the Grimsby Economic Development Advisory Committee. On council, I will:

• Turn the strategy we already paid for into a costed workplan with an owner, a timeline and public updates

• Go after grant and partner funding instead of the tax levy

• Position Grimsby clearly within Niagara and Twenty Valley

• Promote our downtowns together, so a visit becomes a full day instead of a quick stop

• Report results honestly, including what does not work

Most of what council does never makes the news. It happens in staff reports, budget lines and votes that most residents never see. That is exactly why how council works matters as much as what it decides.

Grimsby has had a rough stretch. The Ontario Ombudsman has found more than once that matters were discussed behind closed doors when they should have been in public. Important decisions have split five to four. When council looks divided, residents stop trusting the outcome, whichever way it goes.

I am not running to join a side. I am running to get work done for Ward 2 and for the whole town.

That means doing the homework before every meeting, asking hard questions, and disagreeing respectfully when I disagree. It means working with any member of council on anything that is good for Grimsby, and being honest when I cannot support something, with a clear explanation of why.

Ward 2 elects two councillors, and I would expect to work closely with whoever you choose to sit alongside me.

And I will report back. Not just at election time, but throughout the term, on what got done, what did not, and why.