By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
As I travel across Haldimand-Norfolk, the conversation inevitably turns to the October 26th municipal election. People ask me what I have seen, what I think, and sometimes, who I believe should lead our communities for the next four years.
I will always give people my honest opinion even if it’s uncomfortable. After all, I have spent the past four years listening to constituents, working with municipal councils and watching how decisions are made that directly affect the people I represent.
But there is a great deal of misinformation circulating online about my involvement in this election. Ironically, some have even suggested that because I am your Member of Provincial Parliament, I should somehow surrender my rights as a citizen to have an opinion, participate in my community or speak freely about the issues that matter to me.
I find that notion both troubling and revealing.
Being an MPP does not make me less of a citizen. It does, however, give me a front-row seat to the consequences of municipal decisions and I believe you deserve an honest conversation about what I have witnessed.
Off the top, there have been rumours circulating that I am somehow part of a network organizing a slate of candidates across Haldimand and Norfolk. Quite frankly, I simply do not have the time, nor the interest, to be doing such a thing. My focus is on my work at Queen’s Park and on representing those who elected me. When it comes to this municipal election, I am particularly invested in my own ward, where I have legitimate concerns about the quality of representation and conduct of the sitting councillor. Those concerns are based on what I have personally witnessed and experienced over the past four years, and I am quite prepared to speak honestly about them. That is not the same thing as running a slate or orchestrating an election campaign.
I believe voters are perfectly capable of doing research, which I suggest you do, and making decisions based on facts, performance, and conduct.
I have met with the majority of candidates running in both counties and, regardless of whether I believe someone is a strong contender, I have been gracious and generous with my time and advice. The fact that candidates seek me out, respect my experience and value my opinion is heartening. To me, it demonstrates that they want to have a constructive working relationship with their MPP and want what is best for their community. Of course, there are candidates who have not requested a meeting with me, including some who have been openly critical of me – not my policies or my record, but me personally – both online and around council chambers. That is their choice, just as it is my choice to be open and honest about what I have witnessed and experienced.
I have also learned that a coordinator of a few campaigns in both Haldimand and one in Norfolk, who hails from Dunnville, has been joining community organizations in Norfolk. That is not normal, and it raises legitimate questions about the connections and coordination taking place across our entire riding.
I would suggest to voters that you do your own research all the while keeping your eyes wide open with respect to candidates but also to networks that truly do exist and the motives behind them. As we move closer to October 26th, I am certain I will have conversations with many of you. For now, ask questions, follow connections and decide for yourself what you make of it.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk