Third-generation Stratford citizen Tom Drake is running for city council on a platform of making council more proactive, as opposed to reactive.
“Councillors can sit there and wait until the stuff comes up on the agenda and then make a decision,” Drake said. “Well, maybe they should be a little proactive and bring things to the table.”
Drake runs a successful dental practice with his brother and also runs a farming business. A ‘city boy,’ as he calls himself, Drake quickly learned after getting involved with agriculture what a huge resource it is for the city. He thinks that perspective will help him as a councillor, should he be elected.
He also thinks that having a business where he sees and speaks to Stratford citizens on a day-to-day basis is very important for a councillor. It's something which can keep him up-to-date on issues in the city and what the city thinks about council as a whole.
Drake believes that a lot of recent decisions that Stratford city council has made have been short sighted – like the development of a subdivision on part of the Stratford fairgrounds. While he understands that the city is in need of housing, Drake believes that council missed out on a prime opportunity.
“I don't think they should even put low-income housing there. Now they have no place where they could have had a world class, large convention centre.”
Drake argues that having such a convention centre or arena would benefit Stratford’s already booming hotel industry. In the wintertime many restaurants and hotels close because of the Festival’s limited window. If there was a convention centre that attracted winter events and winter tourism, that could help keep those businesses open, he argues.
Drake also wants to see public works revamped. Tenders are going out for road maintenance and repairs and bids are coming in over-priced. He believes that by expanding public works and having a dedicated crew for maintenance, there could be some savings. He points to nearby Bruce and Oxford counties, which have their own road crews, as evidence.
He is also interested in exploring more progressive measures when it comes to the environment. Other municipalities and organizations have looked at electric vehicles and accrued maintenance and fuel savings by doing so. Stratford has a distinct lack of swimming pools (aside from the Stratford YMCA) and Drake thinks that they may be able to use methane from the dump to heat one, if built nearby. That could save on money and natural gas, he said.
Drake previously ran for mayor in 2018 and would have ran for mayor again, but he wanted to accrue some experience in public office.
Voting is open from Oct. 14-24 of this year. Stratford citizens can cast their ballot online or via telephone. For a full list of the candidates in Stratford and surrounding areas, visit here.
