That’s a strange way to start a post, isn’t it? Here I am telling you what I will not tell you….

You see, having been keenly interested in politics for my entire adult life; having worked for two mayors and a municipal CAO; having worked in public and government relations; having run three campaigns; and having been a St. Catharines City Councillor, I’ve seen other politicians do and say a lot of things.

Continue reading “What I will not tell you” →

Last night at Regional Council, when discussing the report from Huberman about the hiring process for the CAO, Niagara Falls councillor Bob Gale said council reacted to Grant LaFleche’s story and that “maybe we shouldn’t pay attention to Grant LaFleche” and then said that maybe council should “do something about Grant LaFleche,” before saying “that wouldn’t happen.”

It was (yet another) shocking display.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have always – at least to date 🙂 – had a positive relationship with the media. I used to work in public relations and government relations as well as in municipal government, and I worked closely with the media as an ally to communicate more clearly with the public. Continue reading “The media” →

“What experience do you have?”

Well, actually, that might not be the number one question. Over the years, I’ve also received a lot of “Do you even have time for this?” questions, so I’ll address them both in this post with a resounding “yes.” Continue reading “The #1 question a candidate gets…” →

When I worked in municipal government, I held a position which made me the point person when citizens had questions about decisions made by Council. Often, the phone calls began with someone being very unhappy. Always, the phone calls ended with someone thanking me for listening to them and (when necessary) fully explaining the issue or decision to them. It was very common for me to hear: “Well, I still don’t like the decision, but at least I understand it better now. Thank you.”

Prior to and after working in that role, I worked in public and government relations (first for someone else, then my own small business) where I wrote speeches, built presentations, and wrote brochure and newsletter content for local municipalities and various Niagara Region projects. The goal: to always communicate in a way that was accessible to the general public. Continue reading “Communication is of paramount importance” →

With the race for regional council seats heating up in St. Catharines, an important bit of information you need is:

You get six.

In St. Catharines, voters face quite a lengthy ballot when they vote for: 1 mayor, 2 city councillors in their specific ward, 1 regional chair, 6 regional councillors to represent all of St. Catharines, and their school board trustees (the number of which varies depending on which school board you’re registered to vote for). Continue reading “You get six” →