By Pepper Parr
July 17th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
It is going to take more than a photograph of a woman in a wheel chair facing the Cenotaph to become the Mayor of Burlington.f
Anne Marsden spending a quiet moment in front of the Cenotaph in Veteran Square.
The 17,000 votes that were cast in the 2018 election will not translate into votes for Anne Marsden to be given the Chain of Office in October.
Those votes were for a different position and were more of a protest against Gary Carr, the Regional Chair Marsden wanted to replace.
Anne, along with her husband Dave have delegated before city council frequently, some say too frequently, but that was and is her right.
What the public wants to hear is what Anne stands for.
Where is she on municipal taxes; where does she stand on park land dedication and the development charges that are part of buying a home.
Anne is a strong advocate for affordable housing – how does she think this can be done in Burlington when housing is burdened with participation from every government of level in the country.
Anne Marsden with her husband Dave
It is time for Anne to begin to tell the public she wants to serve how she will do the job – in some detail.
The disabled sympathy card has been taken as far as it will get her. Access for those who are disabled has to be cast in stone and never messed with – and on that score Anne Marsden will be there.
It is the other issues that people want to hear her views on as well as how she would lead – hopefully it will be more than a settling of old scores.
Mary and Sarah.
Just to clarify a point. Sarah if your position is to open up the Greenbelt slightly. It would reduce the intensification pressure in Burlington to build Up not Out. If on the other hand, you are opposed to the expansion, intensification is here to stay.
Mary in fairness I don’t know if you are talking about stopping all high rise development other than what is already on the table in the downtown core, or Burlington wide? Perhaps you can elaborate?
In general if person is opposed to the building of high rise units being built in Burlington. Then clearly they are opposed to affordable housing coming to Burlington because affordable units can only be built in high rise buildings because of the the high land prices in other forms of housing. A developer can spread the land cost of high rise land over hundreds of units.
Mary you don’t sound too confident that the OLT. is going to vote in favour of the City in stopping the 50 plus applications. Were including them as units that will be built?
Hopefully to be continued.
Mary provides a good list of topics on which Anne needs to clarify her position. I would add:
* her position on the Green Belt and development north of Hwy #5
* her view of potential areas for effective consolidation of services/resources at the regional level; her understanding of what the core products and services of COB are
* her plans to increase the transparency and accountability of COB government – both elected officials and staff.
* her position on the ideal size and composition of Burlington Council
WHY IS ANNE MARSDEN RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF BURLINGTON?
Married for 56 years with 3 sons and 7 grandchildren, excellent pensions and running a Pro Bono Advocacy Ministry that has helped numerous vulnerable families the Marsdens lead a very busy and very satisfying life. 2021 and 2022 Anne was encouraged by members of the community to run again for Halton Chair in 2022, with predictions that the support she had would see Anne take the seat from Carr in 2022. The current MP for Milton will remember Anne being introduced to him by a member of the Halton community as the next Halton Chair.
However, the Marsdens knowledge from their audits of city hall decisions and the “shenanigans” since 2010, plus their failure to get the accountability the legislation said they should, saw them agree Anne needed to go after the Burlington top municipal political job, Mayor. This they knew would give her a seat at the Halton table so Burlington’s voice that been deathly quiet too many times could be heard.
Anne has always run a different campaign to what is expected. That is because she wants the job for entirely different reasons to all the others on the ballot. This is not a career move, a means to put the kids through University for Anne, nor is it a grab for power or fame. Her reason has always been motivated by a command you will see all over the Marsdens’ correspondence. “Work for the well-being of the city to which I have sent you.” Jeremiah 29:7 Those who have read her draft book “Deliver us from Evil” know she is faith driven and only interested in leading a City Council that Burlington families are required to have as set out in the Municipal Act and other pieces of legislation.
Comments such as “disability sympathy card” related to Anne’s photograph paying her respects at the Cenotaph after just completing her nomination filing and deleting the picture of the carved veteran from the picture of Anne and her husband, as crude as they are, will not change Anne’s campaign plans nor her intentions to see a new era evolve for Burlington. An era that sees transparency back in style for the Burlington council, a leader who leads those elected by the people to make all the decisions their election sees them empowered to do, based on input from a fully engaged community.
We don’t have any old scores to settle Pepper, not even with you, as we believe “Vengence is mine saith the Lord.” We simply seek justice for the taxpayers of Burlington and we will not be tempted by articles such as this to change our modus operandi in terms of the campaign to elect Anne Marsden as Mayor of Burlington and put an end to the “shenanigans” at city hall.
Marsden has always been a stickler and a loud voice for mandated government protocols and procedures being adhered to; and for outing politicians when they stray from those protocols and procedures. The one exception I know of was her backing of Stolte when she broke council confidentiality rules.
My question to Marsden is:- will you abide by the terms of City’s Code of Good Governance as it stands, if she is unable to get those terms changed to her liking through the democratic process.
I hope Marsden is more than a basher, a tearer down like most “opposition politicians” are. I agree with the editor, just How does Marsden aim to:-
* get a stock of affordable (rental and owned) housing built, or
* maintain (or even reduce) City taxes at the present level whilst maintaining or improving City services, or
* put a stop to high rise development beyond those already under application, or
* reduce traffic congestion downtown.