Why I’m Running for Otonabee Ward Councillor
I’m running for Otonabee Ward councillor because I love Peterborough and believe many residents are tired of feeling as though City Hall is not listening to them.
I have lived in Peterborough for more than 20 years. This is where I have built my life, where I am raising my son, and where I have put down roots. It is home in every way that matters.
In conversations throughout the community, I continue to hear many of the same concerns. Life is becoming more expensive. Residents are frustrated when seemingly basic issues take too long to resolve. People often feel that decisions are being made around them rather than with them.
At the ward level, residents want a councillor who pays attention to the practical matters affecting daily life: roads, sidewalks, traffic, public safety, parks, garbage collection, transit, housing, and access to municipal services. These issues may not always attract headlines, but they have a direct effect on how people experience their neighbourhoods.
I am not running because I believe I already have every answer. I am running because I am willing to listen, do the necessary homework, ask direct questions, and be honest when an issue is complicated.
My experience in marketing, communications, community conversations, acting, and political organizing has taught me the importance of listening carefully and explaining complicated subjects in plain language. Residents should not need a municipal decoder ring to understand what council is doing, how public money is being spent, or why a decision was made.
My focus is practical decision-making, clear communication, and genuine accountability—during the campaign and after the election.
Coverage note: These positions were originally submitted to kawarthaNOW for its Otonabee Ward questionnaire and published in “Peterborough Otonabee Ward candidates introduce their campaigns ahead of October’s municipal election” by Bethan Bates on July 4, 2026.