By Pepper Parr
August 13, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
Jennifer Hlusko must have been one of the most popular girls in the grade ten science class; she surely had the best notes available and every jock in the class would want to read those notes.
When one meets with Hlusko she will be taking notes; mention a word she doesn’t know and she writes it down.
A Britannia Road resident Hlusko has served on the Halton District School Board for more than ten years, most recently as the Chair.
Jennifer Hlusko – one of eight candidates for ward 6
Hlusko didn’t do very much, the Director of Education and several of his supervisors did all the talking – the issue got resolved and that was that story. The parents didn’t get everything they wanted but the school board didn’t get what they wanted either.
Hlusko holds a doctorate in veterinary science. She practiced as a vet for a number of years, but gave up that line of work to focus on raising her children
There isn’t all that much on her web site about what she will do as a member of city council; but Hlusko does send out a constant stream of links to papers and articles that she appears to think her “community” want to read. On some days there are as many as three links.
Hlusko did organize the Burlington Riding MPP Candidates Education Debate at Nelson HS during the provincial election. Hlusko wrote the questions posed for the candidates – they were good questions.
The material on the Hlusko web site tells a lot about her family, her individual life style passions – which include a 2 acre organic garden and the 1845 heritage home she and her husband Greg have renovated, but the site doesn’t say all that much about what she stands for.
Is parking an issue for Hlusko – she doesn’t say very much.
Is the air park and its difficulties with the city whose council she wants to sit on an issue. Not a word on what is a major issue for the people in North Burlington.
What about the project to make the eastern part of rural Burlington a protected area with special zoning? Nothing from Hlusko on this issue either.
Ward 6 – a mix of solid suburban, a brand new community and a large stretch of rural.
There isn’t a working group at which the city and the board can meet regularly. While Hlusko wants to improve the relationship – there is little on the public record to show that she made any progress at this level while she was chair.
There is not as yet a parents association in Alton – Hlusko would like to see that changed. Traffic in Headon is a mess.
She wants to see better governance models and a code of conduct in place. These are issues that draw yawns from people who have a problem with parking or snow removal. There is a small streak of naivety in Hlusko who is certainly not a retail politician.
What we appear to have in Jennifer Hlusko is someone who has lived in rural Burlington for a long time and served at the Board of Education since 2003.
What she stands for – hard to tell. Hlusko has positions on almost everything one can think of – and they are all set out on her website. Here is the list to date – there will undoubtedly be more.
Burlington Flood Relief, Pier Settled. Surely this is not the end?, Waterfront Property Sale Investigation, Pedestrian Bridge at Dundas Street & Tim Dobbie Drive, My Submission on Dundas Street Corridor Plans, Creating a Sustainable Urban Canopy, Cancer Doesn’t Need More Ribbons, Hlusko’s Debate for Burlington MPPs, Heritage Award from LACAC’s Les Armstrong and Jane Irwin, Burlington Elementary School Boundary Review, Burlington High School Closures Coming?, Internet Filters? yes or no?, Just One of the Many Reasons Why I am Running for Council, Bike to Work/School Day (everywhere but Burlington), Trumpeter Swan Coalition, All Candidates Forum on Arts & Culture, “Longtime Burlington School Trustee to run for City Council”, Today I registered for Ward 6 Councillor, Overnight Parking in Alton?, Tax Increase, Why aren’t Councillors on the Sunshine List?, Salaries Paid to Elected Representatives, Little: A ‘dummies guide’ to being a Councillor
Hlusko may be relying on the level of service she gave as a school board trustee to get her the votes she needs to win the ward 6 council seat. Problem with that approach is that school board elections have very poor turnouts for the most part.
The Hlusko family: with the children out of the public system it was time to serve elsewhere – city council seemed to fit the bill.
Hlusko has a couple of dozen testimonials, most from the educational community and more than we have ever seen for a candidate. Do they mean anything? Hard to tell.
Jennifer Hlusko is a very intelligent woman; she is focused, driven at times and a bear when it comes to soaking up information. A little quirky in personality – that’s an observation – not a judgement, and perhaps not suited to the give and take of municipal politics.
The same of course can be said of several of the seven that now sit on council.
Can we get this woman another job; perhaps as a librarian or something. What does she plan on doing besides being an overwhelmed seat warmer? Stay home and tend to your garden.
Excellent overview of this candidate, Mr. Parr. I sincerely hope that all residents of Ward 6 read it VERY carefully.
Furthermore, while she’s NOT a resident of Ward 6, she is clearly a rural resident of this city.
To that point, I personally find it appalling that she has not issued one statement nor declared her position and intentions regarding the Airpark fill operation’s and plans for expansion – considering the already well-documented, devastating impact these have had on Burlington’s unique, environmentally sensitive rural lands, its hardworking, dedicated stewards, as well as the city’s residents and visitors who treasure the area recreationally.
Folks, you might as well keep Lancaster in her role. Better the devil you know.