PROVEN FISCAL MANAGER
EXPERIENCED COMMUNITY LEADER
James grew up in your neighbourhood and continues to live there. He went to St. Gregory’s, Frank Ryan, Merivale High and Algonquin College. His family has resided in the west end of Ottawa for about 200 years and even have a street named after them. They have a long family history of contributing to the community; and his desire to serve as Councillor for the City of Ottawa continues this tradition.
He is working as a local, award winning, Real Estate Agent and have in the past worked in the High Technology Field, Finance, has managed a $1.5 Million dollar a year business and successfully ran his own property management business. Educated at Algonquin College, Algonquin Technology Institute and Herzing College, he has completed studies in Business and High Technology.
He has been on the Board of Directors for Quality Living Housing Cooperative for more than 17 years. With a budget of $1 Million a year, he has successfully, and consistently, kept member payment increases as low as 0 to 2% and still maintained no debt and a healthy reserve. He has continually completed extensive infrastructure projects by being fiscally responsible. He does this volunteer work because he believes in his neighbourhood, his home and his community and wants to make it a better place to live.
When he is elected to City Council, he will be your supportive voice and will ensure that your concerns are heard and reflected in his actions.
He believes deeply that politics begins with community involvement. His community involvement will continue at City Hall, representing Knoxdale-Merivale and the residents of Ottawa.
Fix the Roads
Ottawa’s roads and sidewalks carry our most precious cargo—our families! By prioritizing road and sidewalk repairs in Ward 9, we will not only keep our streets safe, and vehicles in good condition, but also create jobs and opportunities for commercial growth in our community.
Get LRT Back on Track
Ottawa’s LRT project has been a complete disaster from the outset.
If you remember when city council was voting on Phase 2 of the LRT, Phase 1 was a complete mess. The public was demanding that we talk about the vote. Council ended up pushing the vote through with very little public consultation. As a result, Phase 2 ended up just as problematic as Phase 1.
Well, guess what is coming in January 2023. If you said Phase 3, you are correct. The Provincial and Federal funding is expiring and there will be a lot of pressure for the 50% new council to vote yes in fear of losing this funding.
Let’s not keep making the same mistakes. If we are lucky, Phase 2 will be complete in 2 years. James proposes that we put Phase 3 on hold and that we complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 first.Once we have completed both phases, we do an analysis on the project and learn from our mistakes and then put our best foot forward for Phase 3.
City council needs responsible leadership to provide proper oversight and risk management. The people of Ottawa deserve full transparency when it comes to the LRT project and a clear plan to get it back on track.
Local Community Centres
Our local community centers are the backbone of the neighbourhood. We need more awareness to attract new programs and volunteers.
Getting our community centres involved in helping solve local issues has many benefits. We can have neighbourhood meetings to discuss issues and get great feedback. Once the community takes ownership of the solution, they will more likely be supportive and want to see it succeed.
Stop the Run-Away-Debt
James vows that any issue that comes to city hall that is adding to our debt will get a NO vote from him.
James needed to go through the Mayor’s office to get this information. Our debt in 2010 was only $700 million and it is now “3 Billion”. In 12 short years it has more than quadrupled. Also, as a result, we are now paying over $240 million a year to service this debt. This is with low interest rates. Every year our debt increases instead of being paid off. If this continues, it is inevitable that our taxes will also skyrocket.
Imagine having only one year with an extra $240 million. How many dream projects could we accomplish?
Housing you can Afford
House prices and rent have become too expensive in Ottawa. As an award-winning Real Estate Agent, I have unique experience and insight into this problem. I will make this a top priority for my term at City Hall.
Freeze Taxes and Respect Taxpayers
Ottawa residents pay enough. Inflation is hitting people hard. We need a council that will rein in spending and hold the line on frivolous spending.
Fix City Services
Our city council have cut many services in order to pay our $240 million a year bill to service this debt. Some more obvious services include our garbage collection, our bus services and not increasing the Police budget with the increase in population.
R1 Zoning
James has some critical words for Mayoral candidate Catherine McKenney’s platform. R1 Zoning is protecting single family homes. The elimination of the R1 Zone that Catherine McKenney is proposing will harm many of old-Nepean’s beautiful neighborhoods in Ward 9. James grew up here and continues to live here now and he does not want to see developers taking over.
James proclaims support for keeping R1 Zoning to protect old-Nepean’s neighbourhoods from cart blanche development.
By removing the R1 Zoning, the city is giving private builders cart blanche access to all our neighbourhoods. We need to stop allowing developers the ability to decide how the zoning will change. The city needs to follow their short and long term plan and clearly define how neighbourhoods will be rezoned. Also, there are many steps to take between single family homes and high-rise condominiums. We are missing Duplexes, Triplexes, 4-plexes and 6-plexes. It’s time to start some responsible planning.
Mr. Dean supports intensification along the LRT, transit corridors and along major roads like Merivale Road in Ward 9. As the largest municipality in Canada, Ottawa has plenty of space to intensify and add new affordable housing without destroying its mature neighborhoods. He doesn’t think it’s appropriate to build apartment buildings deep inside our neighbourhoods. The City of Ottawa needs a better plan that allows for affordable housing to be built, but which also doesn’t harm our existing neighborhoods.
Stop the Slate
HorizonOttawa.ca has recruited a slate of far left candidates, many of whom are affiliated with the NDP past and present. Also, many NDP MPP’s have been seen knocking on doors with members of this coalition. Regardless of how you vote provincial or federal, I’m sure that you will agree, provincial and federal political parties have no business getting themselves neck deep in city politics. This is an affront to transparency and accountability. If they are playing political games before even getting elected, imagine the damage that they will do if elected.
Among the Horizon Ottawa far left slate are Catherine McKenney and twice NDP candidate Sean Devine.
Council candidates who commit to support a Mayoral candidate now, as part of a slate or coalition of candidates, will vote in lockstep with that Mayor no matter the issue. Forget about meaningful public consultation, transparency, and accountability. As we’ve seen, slate politics is about deception, strong-arming and backroom deals. Some issues that are affiliated with the slate are: defunding the police, removing R1 zoning, free transit for all.
Many people are against the province giving the Mayor more power. Now imagine also having a slate of candidates beholden to them.
There can be no accountability without transparency. Ottawa needs a City Council that will be honest with its residents, consult regularly and in a meaningful way. A Council that is willing to work together to solve our mutual problems.
James is committed to being an independent voice for residents of old-Nepean in Ward 9: Knoxdale-Merivale. He will never join a slate of candidates or vote as part of a block at Council because he believes Councillors should only be beholden to the residents of their ward, and no one else.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
It takes a village to raise a child. This old African saying holds as much value today as it ever has. Where better to practice and grow this motto than in our own community.
More and more often you are hearing about groups of young people getting into trouble just hanging out in our parks and streets. What can we do as a community to help raise these young people into happy, healthy, productive members of society?
Mentoring young people in structured programs can be the greatest gift someone can experience. Our seniors and retirees have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is far too valuable not to share. The smallest gesture, such as a smile, or simply having someone understand you, can change a young person’s life in a positive way forever.
It’s time for Responsible Leadership.
Contact James
Phone Number: 613-293-2088
I would love to hear from you.
As your City Councillor, I am committed to bringing a new level of accountability to City Hall. That starts with being accountable to you, the residents of Knoxdale-Merivale.
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