By Pepper Parr
January 15th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
David Vandenberg a third year political science student at McMaster University announced on Cogeco TV’s The Issue last week that he will be running the re-election campaign for Rick Goldring who will be seeking his third term as Mayor of Burlington.
Vandenberg said he was honoured and excited about the role and was looking forward to 2018!
David Vandenberg on Cogeco TV
Vandenberg has almost as much exposure in the city as the man he will be working to keep in city hall for another three years.
Vandenberg attended Wilfrid Laurier University where he studied Economics w/ Management Option. While at Laurier he was a member of the Lazaridis Student Society, Laurier Intramurals, Laurier Economics Club. Mike Lazaridis, co-founder of the BlackBerry Corporation is close to an idol at Laurier.
Vandenberg worked on getting high school students involved in the Pythons’ Pit. That job required him to work with the HDSB/HCDSB to promote and seek student involvement with Pythons’ Pit
– Market and promote Pythons’ Pit across the region to business professionals and mentors
– Seek and gain community sponsors for the program
– Foster youth entrepreneurship and guidance to High School students in Halton
His entrepreneurial bones were first evident when he created David’s Lawn Care which he operated for
6 years 9 months.
David Vandenbewrg’s job is to keep that Chain of Office around the Mayor’s neck and make sure the voters don’t decide to wring that neck at the election polls.
It was a self-started lawn care company that he founded in 2011 and maintained seven weekly contracts with neighbours as well as short term clients who leave for vacation.
Vandenberg worked as a Research Analyst Intern with Emshih Developments Inc. from February 2017 – September 2017.
There is also a bit of a show business streak – Vandenberg was an Emcee – Concerts in The Park
Every active student works in a restaurant at some point- Vandenberg was a Host/Server at Son of a Peach Pizza.
Managing an election campaign that is likely to be a much contested event with at least three solid candidates known to be in the race. The only one to declare publicly is the current Mayor.
Vandenberg will need all his youthful energy and whatever he has in the way of skills to pull this one off. Not sure if he realizes yet that politics is a bloods sport – not for the faint of heart.
A political appointment to a nice government sinecure would be preferable to the holy hell that is about to descend on the Mayor in the next municipal election.
Rick Golding’s previous election forays were a cake walk compared to what he will face this year. In 2006 when running for Ward 5 Councillor promoted his environmental mantra and in a nine candidate race managed to get elected principally on the basis of being different. In 2010 he had the good fortune of running against a very unpopular Mayor who alienated a number of residents. In 2014 he had no real opposition and it was another cake walk.
This time Burlington residents are in a really ugly mood, and are fed up with Road Diets, bike lanes, traffic congestion, lousy public transit, unbridled development, and a Council that really doesn’t listen. Nine months away from a municipal election and there are already four potential candidates lined up to replace him. Unlike his counterpart in Oakville who leads with a compelling vision and is able to create unity amongst Oakville Council members Rick Golding’s equivocating stance on the issues is alternately tiresome and annoying. The Mayor is out of time, out of luck, and for many of us, out of ideas.
Yes…it’s probably a good idea to get out of Dodge City.
It is my understanding that there is an “official time” before someone can announce their intention of
running for office.
Please correct me if I am wrong? If the mayor can announce his intentions – why not the others who are planning on running for office?
New provincial requirements state, under the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, that candidates cannot file their nomination papers until May 1 (later than the prior rules of January 1), and are not therefore officially candidates until that time. They cannot spend or raise any money (or receive donations) until they are candidates. Having an announcement at a golf course with refreshments, for example, would seem to me to contravene this.
There is an interesting article in today’s Toronto Star where Doug Ford was warned by the Toronto City Clerk about this, as he spent money on robocalls recently. Ford made the point that the incumbent mayor is in full-blown campaign mode, with constant announcements, etc., and although the point of changing the start date to May 1 was to shorten the election campaign period and probably to keep candidates, particularly incumbent candidates, focused on their actual job for a longer period,this may not be working too well when obviously the campaigning just starts anyway, albeit in a disguised form. I seem to have noticed a sudden uptake in Goldring announcements, appearances, Facebook live events, reverse town halls. It begs the question: where was this interest in hearing the citizens for the last 4 years?
I’ll believe the mayor is still running for office if he hasn’t received a provincial appointment prior to the June provincial election since he certainly won’t receive one when the Wynne government and our local MPP are turfed from office. Meanwhile, I consider his announcement as merely a feint to cover his “total surprise” if he secures a provincial appointment.