WHY I'M RUNNING

Everyone has a story to tell.This is mine.

There is a very personal reason I decided to put my name forward for Town Council.

I want to honour my father.

My father was a giant of a man. He had worked as a lumberjack in Temagami for two years, and he was not a man who cried easily.

In fact, I saw my father cry only twice.

The first time was when Terry Fox passed away.

The entire nation mourned his loss. For my father, it was very personal.

He pulled the car into a parking lot, my brother and I in the backseat.

He cried.

My brother and I sat still, unsure of what to do.

The second time was when he received a telegram telling him that his brother had died.

My father's homeland, Lithuania, had been occupied and forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union. The brothers had been separated for decades because of politics.

My father understood gratitude. He understood how fortunate we were to live in this country. And he understood that being part of a community—and of a democracy—was something we should never take for granted.

When I was old enough to vote for the first time, voting became a regular part of our dinner-table conversations.

We talked about politics.

My father taught me why voting matters. He taught me that your vote matters even when your candidate doesn't win.

He taught me that participating in our democracy isn't something we do only when the outcome is going to go our way.

It is a responsibility—and a privilege.

My father and I walked to the polling place together.

As I have thought about running for Council, I have thought about those dinner-table conversations and what he was really teaching me.

He was teaching me to pay attention.

To ask questions.

To listen to different points of view.

To make my own decisions.

And, most importantly, to participate.

That is a big part of why I'm running today.

I care deeply about Wasaga Beach and about the direction in which our community is going.

We are changing. Some of that change is exciting and necessary. We need thoughtful development, investment and vision for the future.

But we also have to take care of the community we have today.

That means making thoughtful choices about where we focus our time, attention and tax dollars.

We need to maintain the infrastructure and services we already have—and address irritants that have gone on for too long, such as the widening of 45th Street and density and traffic concerns around our schools.

We need to listen to residents and take their concerns seriously.

And we need to protect the things that make Wasaga Beach special—like our green canopy and beautiful beachfront and bay—while finding a thoughtful way to accommodate the growth that is coming.

We also need a Council that can disagree without becoming divided.

I've said before that politics should not be a blood sport.

I believe we can have strong disagreements, ask difficult questions and challenge decisions without attacking the people who hold different opinions.

I want to bring diplomacy, discernment and dialogue into municipal politics.

I'm not running because I believe I have all the answers.

I'm running because I'm willing to do the work.

To read the reports.

To ask the questions.

To look at the numbers.

To listen to residents—even when what they have to say is difficult to hear.

To consider different perspectives.

And then to make decisions based on what I believe is best for our community.

I also want to be accessible.

My phone number will be available to you.

And, subject to the rules and requirements of the Town, I would like to hold regular weekly office hours at Town Hall.

Sometimes people simply want to sit down with someone, face to face, and talk about what matters to them.

I want to be that person.

If you have a concern, a question, an idea—or simply something you think Council should hear—I want there to be a way for you to reach me.

Accessibility isn't just about having an email address. It's about making sure people have a real opportunity to be heard.

My father taught me that having the right to vote comes with a responsibility to participate.

For most of my life, I have exercised that responsibility by showing up at the ballot box.

The first time, my father walked beside me.

Now I'm taking the next step.

I'm putting my own name on the ballot.

And I hope that, wherever he is, my father would be proud that I remembered what he taught me.

September 2^nd, 2026