Where are you from and what is your background?
I was born in Woodstock, Ontario and our family moved to Cambridge in 1973. Cambridge is where I call "home". I attended Cambridge Elementary and Central Kings Rural High School and graduated in 1986. I am a co-owner of our businesses with my brother, Shane; and have managed various divisions of our company over the past 23 years, and currently manage our Krown and Line-X divisions in Cambridge.

I have been involved in the Community as a past member of the Waterville and District Fire Department, past member of the Kentville Rotary Club, a past Master of Kentville Masonic Lodge, and a Past Potentate of Philae Shriners in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

I currently live in Grand Pre with my wife, Shauna, and our Golden Retriever, Molly, and Max our ragdoll cat.

Why have you chosen to run for office?
I believe that Municipal politics is the most "hands on" way to directly help your fellow citizens, and I want to fill this role and help our communities this way.

I believe in the power of community and the impact that this foundational government can have on our daily lives. I want to help form an effective Council as well as be a voice of reason while the County moves forward with its policies and governance of the County, on your behalf, the taxpayers. All the while, working with the new mayor, newly elected council, and county staff.

I will bring a ‘no-nonsense’ attitude to Council and push for more accountability for contracts, increase added value for local content in County tenders, and make doing business in Kings County easier while still following our stringent, and much needed by-laws.

I am new to the political landscape. I do not see this as a problem but more of an advantage as I am excited and eager to jump in and immerse myself in this role. I believe a fresh perspective is needed on Council for new thinking and innovative ways of supplying services to our citizens. There are a lot of hard decisions that are needed to be made soon, and I feel I am well suited to help make these decisions on your behalf, for the betterment of our communities and County as a whole.

What strengths would you bring to Council if elected?
I have a practical, hands-on experience in private business and understand the value of a dollar, when earned, and how hard it is to earn that dollar. I feel that I would bring good insight into the fiscal responsibilities of Council being stewards of the residents of Kings County’s hard earned tax dollars.

I also have been in several leadership roles in various organizations and even though I am not running for the mayor’s office, being a Councillor still requires business acumen as well as leadership traits, which I possess.

What do you feel are key issues in this election and how would you address them?
There are dozens of issues that current Council are dealing with, however, there are only a couple that I feel would be key to this election. One of which is the discussion of the Deed Transfer Tax, and its possible implementation. I am not in favour of another tax, especially when it is being presented as a lifeline to a County Recreational Facility. I am 100% in favour of the idea of a Kings County Recreational Centre for several reasons (increased draw to our County for new residents and exceptional programs for existing residents) but there are other ways of funding such a capital infrastructure project, such as private business ownership as is done in other centres throughout North America, sponsorship from business and residents, and at a last resort…a new tax. If we can’t afford the project, then we either curb spending in other areas, or look to alternate revenue sources. We can’t just raise taxes because we want something. That is how our Province and Country has gotten into the level of debt we are currently in.

The justification of this new tax being that we (Kings County) are the only County in the Province that doesn’t have it; so why not, isn’t reason enough for me to vote in favour of it. We already have enough taxes without implementing a new one, just because we can. Our County is one of the most prosperous in the province, and our previous Councils have done this without this tax. Another comment I have heard is that it doesn’t affect you (as I am not purchasing a piece of property) so why does it matter? This is not a valid argument for grabbing more money from our existing taxpayers who are buying and selling property, nor to new residents hoping to call our beautiful County, Home.

Speaking of the idea of a Kings County Recreational Facility/Centre, I believe this is another key issue in this election. Candidates would have you feel that a vote for them is a vote for this project, when in fact I believe we are at least one term of Council away from making any critical decisions on this project. First, it hasn’t even been decided that it is going to happen, even though it is a dream of many. Again, the rhetoric is, "we are the only County that doesn’t have one". That is not a reason to commit and spend tens of Millions of dollars, and probably more to create this piece of infrastructure. Is it needed? Probably. Is it viable? Possibly. Is it going to happen during this 4-year term? Definitely not. The election in 2028 will potentially be driven by this project, but the next four years is going to be planning with staff to develop the idea, location, design, budget, etc. Voting for someone based on their opinion surrounding this venture isn’t going to do anything.

I will not be supporting the promise of the Deed Transfer Tax being implemented to fund a Recreation Facility.

What is one message you would like to send to voters?
I would like to remind the voters in District 7, and Countywide for that matter, that we live in an ever-changing society, as they know; and change is a good thing. We are constantly evolving and growing, and Kings County is no different. Our county is a very good mix of rural and urban; and I feel that one cannot live without the other. We need agricultural land, and need to protect that resource, but our County isn’t just an agricultural base, nor is District 7.

A new Council offers a fresh perspective. New eyes to look at the management of the County assets, your assets. New personalities to debate and develop new policies for the continued growth and direction of the County. New ideas and thoughts on what, and how to govern, as well as being diligent in managing your tax dollars effectively, and hopefully more effectively, and budgeting them appropriately so we can be good stewards of your hard-earned money. We need lower taxes, not add new taxes. We need to cut costs and not give out extreme raises in salaries, which has recently been done, regardless of it being in the budget.

Please vote for the betterment of Kings County. I would like to be one of the new pair of eyes elected to work on your behalf.