Jennifer Smith

Every year the Milton Rural Residents Association (MRRA) sends out a comprehensive questionnaire to all candidates, asking for their stand on everything from taxes to governance to current issues.

This questionnaire is an incredibly useful tool for voters as it allows you to directly compare responses from different candidates to the same questions, as well as allowing you to check how well (or poorly) an incumbent has lived up to their promises from past years.

Here is my completed questionnaire:

#1. Why do you want to be elected?

I have a passion for this town, and I want to make a real difference. Milton has been through a lot of changes over the past decade, and my ward in particular has been left behind. Ward 2 is the heart of Milton, but services like our library are being moved to the far side of town, our parks and roads are neglected, and our historic downtown core is becoming increasingly isolated. We are facing real problems here - what interests me is finding real, practical solutions.


#2. How will you represent your constituents at Council?

Firstly, by involving them in the process. I intend to make sure that my constituents are the best informed and the most active participants in town affairs in all of Milton. Secondly, by making myself the best informed and most active representative on Council.


#3. How will you communicate with your constituents and at what intervals?

Two-way communication is key. I intend to communicate regularly with my constituents through all available means - email, my website, by phone, and by going door to door on a regular basis. I also plan to involve residents in every neighbourhood in bi-monthly round table discussions of local issues to get their feedback, find out about any problems they may be having, and to come up with innovative solutions together.


#4. How will you determine the will of your constituents and if it differs from your personal opinion, how will you reconcile this?

The communication plan I have outlined above will provide me with a broad and balanced sense of what my constituents want - not just the majority or the most vocal, but everyone. As for reconciling differences between their opinions and mine, that would depend entirely on the specific issue. For example, if the majority wanted something that I thought would be detrimental to the minority, I would feel obligated to negotiate a solution that was of the greatest benefit to all. However, if something was strictly a matter of opinion I would defer to their judgment.


#5. If the recommendations of Town staff differ from the will of your constituents, how will you reconcile them?

My answer would be much the same as above. Additionally, if I felt that my constituents were basing their opinion on a misunderstanding or inaccurate information, I would arrange for them to meet with staff and have them work together to find the best solution based on the best information.*

(* N.B: I should add here that the same would apply if staff were working off inaccurate or incomplete information)


#6. What ties do you have to the constituency in which you are running and how have you been involved locally?

I have lived in the same house in the middle of Ward 2 for the past sixteen years. We chose Milton partly because my uncle Bill lived and taught high school here for many years, but also because we just fell in love with the town. My husband and I have raised our son here, I run my own business here, and I hope to live here the rest of my life. I have been involved in numerous local organizations and events over the years including the Milton Choristers, the Milton Historical Society, the Ontario Renaissance Festival, and most recently the Milton Haunted House Fundraiser for the Hospital Foundation. I have also spoken out on many local issues before Council, in the pages of the newspaper, and through my website.


#7. Provincial and Federal legislation often influences how Municipalities will operate. How will you represent your constituents in the event of conflict with such legislation? (ie. issues dealing with population density and hospital facilities)

If Provincial, Federal, or even Regional legislation arises that is detrimental to the interests of the people of Milton, I will actively lobby on their behalf and encourage others to do the same. More importantly, I would work to avoid such conflicts by establishing productive relationships with representatives from all levels of government and making sure they understand exactly what the effects of their decisions will be on the town.


#8. As a Councillor, how will you deal with the broad range of issues that come before Council?

No single councillor can know everything about every issue. This is why I have already begun to establish working relationships with several staff members, sitting councillors and council candidates, so that we can draw on each other's experience and expertise when dealing with complex issues.


#9. What experience do you bring to the position that you are running for and how will it help you to better represent your constituents?

Being a small business owner for most of my life has taught me to work creatively and independently, and how to squeeze the most value out of every dollar spent. As a writer and web designer, I know how to communicate clearly, effectively, and cheaply across many platforms. I have lived in many different places and have a broad enough range of interests and experiences that I will be able to relate on some level to the concerns and experiences of every one of my constituents.


#10. Please indicate your position on the following issues and briefly explain why you hold this view.

A.Should consecutive terms of office be limited? Why or Why not? Should term rules for Council and Council Committees be the same?

I would be more interested in finding ways to lessen the advantage that incumbents have over non-incumbents in an election so that voters can objectively assess whether a sitting councillor should be re-elected or replaced. The committee question is something I would have to investigate further.


B.How would you balance the issues of Development and the Environment? Does one take precedence over the other? If a vote came to Council to develop Escarpment Lands, how would you vote?

In general, I believe the environment should take precedence over development, although in some cases there needs to be a more reasonable assessment of what constitutes a threat to the environment. I would certainly vote against the development of Escarpment Lands. The Escarpment is Milton's greatest natural treasure - not to mention a major tourist draw - and we have a duty to preserve and maintain it for future generations.


C.What do you see as the role of Public Consultation in dealing with Municipal Issues? Do you support direct public interaction on issues, and if so, how can this be achieved?

Public consultation is vital, and yet too often there is merely lip service paid with only the minimum effort made to inform and involve the public in the decision making process. One problem is that when so few people are paying attention, the ones who do speak at public meetings aren't necessarily representative of the broader public. I hope to remedy that by actively informing and engaging my constituents through my communications plan.


D.What will you do as a Councillor to support people’s rights of residential property ownership for the use and enjoyment of their property?

I firmly believe that one person's rights end where another's begin. Property owners should absolutely be free to do as they please with their property so long as it doesn't damage or infringe on anyone else. I should also say that this includes not only their immediate neighbours, but also those living downstream or using the same aquifer, for example.


E.If elected, what would you propose in relation to the need for increased hospital facilities in Milton to support the rapidly increasing population? How would you pay for this?

Aside from continuing to aggressively lobby the Provincial government for funding and approval, I believe that we need to start planning now for raising funds for the local share. There have many viable options proposed for this, and we will need to look at all of them. A tax levy should be the very, very last resort and I don't believe it will come to that, but if it did become absolutely necessary I think the people of Milton would support it.


F.What should be done with the existing Bruce Street Library when the new Main Library opens at the Milton Arts Centre? Is it a problem that public facilities are moving away from the Seniors concentration in downtown Milton?

There are not only seniors in central Milton - there are plenty of families with young children as well who rely on having walking access to a library and other facilities. I strongly support the retention of the Bruce Street facility as a branch library, as well as the active retention and development of other facilities and services in the central core. Centralization of key amenities isn't just good for Ward 2 residents - it's good for the whole town.


G.Do you feel that the overall tax burden on Milton Residents is Too High? Too Low? Or just about right? Why?

The tax burden certainly feels right to most Milton taxpayers, but I am very concerned that taxes have been kept artificially low by over-reliance on constant growth. Now that growth is beginning to slow, we are starting to experience the repercussions as growth-related costs are lagging behind assessment growth. This is going to be a significant issue over the next several budget cycles.


H.Rural representation on Milton Town Council has been greatly reduced by the ward realignment in place for this election. If elected in your ward(s), how will you support the residents in Rural Milton?

When I first moved to Milton, the catchphrase was "The Best of Town and Country". I would like to see a greater emphasis placed on the rural roots of our community, and greater integration between the interests of our town and country residents. Two potential ways of accomplishing this would be to create a local food strategy to help support local agriculture, and to create a local tourist board to increase eco- and agri-tourism.


I.What are 1 or 2 other issues that you think will be important to the constituents in your ward and how would you propose to deal with them?

Traffic and speeding are constant issues. I plan to institute a comprehensive traffic calming policy, similar to that of the Town of Caledon, where a hierarchy of solutions ranging from speed limit adjustments to visual or physical lane narrowing to speed humps can be implemented depending on the specific issue and specific street. I also intend to push for synchronized traffic lights on arterial roads, and to bring back safer, signalized pedestrian crossings at appropriate locations. One thing I recently accomplished on this front is to have bike lanes for collector roads in Ward 2 added to the list of planned bike lanes for Milton. These will not only make cycling safer but will also act as traffic calming measures.

Heritage preservation is another vital issue right now. I believe that we need to decide as a community exactly what our heritage is worth to us, both culturally and economically, and to reflect that value by looking seriously at tax incentives and funding options for both rural and urban heritage preservation.

It's been a busy week for me, and the results are showing up in the press.

The all-candidates meeting on heritage issues was the front page story in today's Champion, with a decent quote from my presentation:

The candidates were all asked: What do you see as the value of preservation of heritage properties? What’s the single most important action the Town could take to encourage heritage preservation. And, if elected, what incentive programs would you support for residents who seek to conserve and restore heritage properties?

“The most important thing the Town could do to promote heritage is change their attitude about heritage,” said Jennifer Smith, who’s currently vying to represent Ward 2, which is where several of the town’s historic churches and building are located.

“Currently the town seems to regard heritage concerns as an annoyance at best and at worst a drain on resources.”

All of the six Ward 2 candidates were in attendance and all agreed on the value that historic buildings add to the downtown.

Smith said the buildings are an important economic factor to increasing the property value in the downtown area and as a tourism draw.

There is also a long article about the bike lane discussion at Monday's Community Services Committee meeting.

Within two years, the Town plans to install around 10 bike lanes between Steeles Avenue East and Louis St. Laurent Avenue, east of Thompson Road. Four additional bike lanes west of Thompson are planned for two to five years from now.

Missing from the original staff report was plans to develop bike lanes through Milton’s downtown.

“In light of a vision of interconnectedness, the proposed (program) falls far short,” said Ward 2 candidate Jennifer Smith during the meeting. “Without a single north-south or east-west bike lane route through the centre of town, and with every proposed bike lane coming to an abrupt halt at the edge of central Milton, this network can hardly be called a network.”

Smith said the dead end trails would further isolate the east, west and central areas of Milton from one another.

She urged council to consider adding Commercial Street, west Laurier and Heslop Road to the plan, which was approved by the committee.

During her presentation, Smith said the on-street bike lanes act as a traffic calming measure, “by visually narrowing the road, causing drivers to naturally slow down.”

This is what it looks like when you have a representative who listens to you, works for you, speaks up for you, and who puts Ward 2 first.

This is only the beginning.


 

It was a good night last night.

I didn't count, but I've heard that there were about 120 people attending last night's all candidates meeting at the Milton Fairgrounds. Most seemed to be from either Ward 2 or from the rural wards, and almost all of the questions in the second half were directed to candidates from those areas. Which is a shame, because some of the guys from the new wards actually had some interesting things to say. One of them - I believe it was Abdul Khushk - suggested declaring Heritage Day in Milton, holding events all over town, and putting the proceeds into a heritage fund. I thought that was a great idea.

There were concerns that the meeting was going to be all about St. Paul's, but I was pleased that several of the questions in the second half addressed broader issues. As I said at one point, if anything good can come out of this mess it will be that St. Paul's has made the people of Milton wake up and realize that we all have a stake in our heritage.

Here is my presentation:

My name is Jennifer Smith, and I am running for Town Council here in Ward 2.

I am a former member of the Milton Historical Society, a former member of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and am currently the newsletter editor for the United Empire Loyalists' Association, Hamilton Branch. So when I moved to Milton almost seventeen years ago, I can assure you that history and heritage played a big part in that decision.

The Value of Heritage

Most people place a great value on our history for its own sake, and the cultural benefits of heritage preservation are well understood. However, these are too often dismissed as merely sentimental concerns, so I am going to focus tonight on the value of our cultural heritage and historic buildings as significant economic assets that need to be not only preserved but promoted and invested in.

For property owners, preserving heritage attributes can increase the resale value of their individual buildings, as well as property values in the neighbourhood as a whole.

For retail businesses, locating in a well defined and promoted historic downtown district can draw tourists and other customers looking for a unique shopping experience.

For the town, the preservation and rehabilitation of historic properties can increase their assessment value, increase tourism, and define a cultural identity for the town that can be used to draw business investment.

Encouraging Heritage Preservation

The most important thing the Town of Milton can do to promote heritage preservation is to change it's attitude. Currently the town seems to regard heritage concerns as an annoyance at best, and at worst as a drain on resources.

By acknowledging and then assessing the real value of our urban and rural heritage assets, we can begin to lay out a comprehensive strategy for investment and promotion that will benefit the town both culturally and economically. Then we can incorporate that strategy into business development, tourism, and infrastructure planning.

The Bottom Line

We don't have to re-invent the wheel when it comes to incentive programs. We can start by examining programs in other towns which have used them successfully to enhance their heritage resources. Peterborough, Unionville, Hamilton, and many other towns and cities in Ontario have active heritage incentive programs that can be used as a model.

I would start by focusing on programs which ultimately cost the town little or nothing such as loans and tax deferments, and make these broadly available to heritage property owners. Then, once we have begun to lay out a real heritage strategy we can start to look at other measures such as heritage trusts or the purchase of specific properties. Such measures will have a cost, but so long as we have a clear idea of the true value of our heritage assets, we can apply these investments strategically so that they will ultimately benefit the town economically.

I spoke as a delegate before the Community Services Standing Committee meeting tonight - the first time since I became a candidate back in January. I've been tempted, but the fact is that there hasn't been any single issue before council recently that I felt would be overlooked if I didn't speak up.

Until now.

Here is my presentation:

Delegation to the Community Services Standing Committee
Regarding Staff Report ENG-035-10

I was pleased to read the Town's Bike Lane Implementation Program, staff report ENG-035-10. As acknowledged in the report, on-street bike lanes increase safety and promote cycling as both a recreational activity and as a form of active transportation.

Additionally, on-street bike lanes act as a traffic calming measure by visually narrowing the road and causing drivers to naturally slow down. This is particularly effective on local collector roads where speeding is often a problem but where other traffic calming measures may not be appropriate. Such roads have the added benefit of being wide enough to accomodate dedicated bike lanes.

All of this is reflected in the Trails Master Plan - 2007 Update, upon which the current report is based.

However, I have noted one important difference between that plan and the current one. As you can see from these maps, the bike lanes originally planned for the area between Bronte and Ontario Streets - specifically Commercial Street, west Laurier, and Martin Street - have been ommitted.

I find it extraordinary that once again, central Milton is being left behind when amenities like these are being planned. Of course there are cost savings to the Town when developers pay for new parks, or roads that include traffic calming features. However, at some point the Town must assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of all its residents, regardless of what part of town they live in. And in this case, bike lanes are already being planned as retrofits to existing roads at the town's expense.

Just not here.

The stated intention of the Trails Master Plan is to create “a trail network that unifies neighbourhoods and destinations within the community of Milton”. In light of that vision of interconnectedness, the proposed Bike Lane Implementation Program falls far short.

Without a single north-south or east-west bike lane route through the centre of town, and with every proposed bike lane coming to an abrupt halt at the edge of central Milton, this network can hardly be called a network. Instead, we are left with a patchwork of disconnected dead end trails that serve to further isolate the east, west, and central areas of Milton from each other.

I urge this committee to recommend the addition of Commercial Street, west Laurier, and Heslop to the on-street bike lane implementation plan, and to instruct staff to examine these or other bike route options on the narrower portions of these streets as well as on Martin Street, west Woodward, Bell Street, Pine Street, and Mary Street.

After my presentation, Councillor Wendy Schau brought forward a motion based on my recommendations and, after some discussion, the motion was carried. Although all of this is still subject to budget approval, bike lanes across Ward 2 will now be part of the plan.

That felt good.
 

I was very pleased to see the Milton race profiled on page 2 of the GTA section of today's Star - and even more pleased to see my photo so prominently displayed.

Milton council candidate Jennifer Smith is running in Ward 2. STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR

The issues? Transit, gridlock, apathy and, of course, taxes Phinjo Gombu Urban Affairs Reporter More public transit, less gridlock, the preservation of precious farmland and rising property taxes are some of the issues that are resonating with voters in the 905 municipalities that surround Toronto. The Oct. 25 election is also one where several incumbent mayors, from Oshawa to Vaughan to Burlington, face tough challenges from opponents who say they don’t have what it takes to remake their towns and cities that are starting to see development dollars fade and provincial pressure to build up, not out. The change in the air that is being sought is fuelled by political rancour, voter discontent and the ambitions of first-time candidates. Consider:  • In the fast-growing town of Milton, the resignation of three longtime incumbents, Rick Day, Barry Lee and Wendy Schau, and the creation of three new wards, to accommodate the influx of tens of thousands of new residents, mean half of council will be replaced.

Not too bad, despite the error about the number of new wards (there are 4). The print version has a different photo and the following quote underneath:

"We are facing real problems here - what interests me is finding real, practical solutions. I am running for council because I want to make a real difference for my town, my family and for my neighbours."

Read the rest of the article here.

After taking a little holiday break in Halifax with my dear husband last week, I came back to find a lovely gift waiting for me at the Town Clerk's Office - the 2010 Voters List for Ward 2!

While I have been actively campaigning since January, the release of the voters list generally marks the point where average people start thinking seriously about the upcoming election.

And so you should.


Why you should vote

You hear it all the time, but I'll say it again: if you don't vote, you have no voice. Of course I would like you to vote for me, but really - just vote. This is an incredibly important time for Milton, and the people we elect on October 25th will be making the decisions that shape this town for the next decade and beyond.

It takes a little more thought to vote in a Municipal election because you don't have a party banner or a slick advertising campaign to go by. You need to look at each candidate and assess them individually. What is their vision for Milton? Do they even have one? Will they still be listening after they are elected or are they likely to vanish? Are they bringing any new ideas to the table, or is it just the same old story?

Who will speak for you?


Where we are

We are only two days away from the nomination deadline for new candidates, and a mere 47 days from Election Day. The first scheduled All Candidates Meeting is next week, and only five weeks from now you can start voting in the advance polls.

To help you keep track of all this, I have added a calendar under the 'Events' tab above. This will show you all of these dates, plus important community events like the Fall Fair, plus Town meetings, fundraisers and more.

You should also check out the new Milton Vote website, which has a wealth of election information in an easy to navigate form.


What you should do

The first thing you should do is go to the Town website right now and check to see if you're on the voters list. It's simple - just enter your name and address (you might have to try a couple of spelling variations), and it will tell you if you're on the list and exactly where you will be voting.

Go ahead. I'll wait.
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If you aren't on the list, contact the Town Clerk's office through that same web page and they will set you up. Or just walk over to Town Hall with your ID.

The second thing you should do is decide when and how you want to vote. You have lots of options. If you are going to be away or busy on election day, or just want to beat the lines, you can vote at one of the Advance Polls. If you are going to be away that whole week, please contact me and I will arrange for a Proxy Vote for you where you basically authorize another person to vote on your behalf. These are great for students who are away at school but want to vote here in Milton.

Also, remember that no matter where or when you vote, you are now required to show identification.

The third thing you should do is order one of my lovely lawn signs. Please call or email me directly and I will happily install it myself.

The most important thing you can do is vote. And if you cast your vote for Jennifer Smith, you have my pledge that I will speak up for Ward 2.

It's time you were heard.