As someone who doesn’t own a vehicle, Jeff Lewis gets a vastly different view of the city he calls home when he is walking and biking around Stratford.
The city’s walkability – often defined as how friendly a community is for walking around – could be better and is something the city council candidate would like to see improved.
“To me, pedestrians and cyclists are nothing more than an afterthought,” Lewis told StratfordToday. “If they build a street wider…they can add a bike lane.”
There are plenty of road improvements recently completed or still underway in Stratford, and Lewis is keeping an eye out to see if bike lanes are part of the plans. Too often, planning revolves around improving life for drivers and not the citizens that walk or cycle to get where they need to, he said.
“The city can do a lot more to improve walkability.”
Born in Stratford, Lewis has lived in the city most of his life. He works for a company that builds cedar garage doors. He worked at a factory in Stratford for a time until getting laid off.
Lewis has always been interested in politics and urban planning and said he was a member of the NDP party for a number of years, but he is not anymore.
“Over the years, you see things that the city has done and ask yourself why would they do that? I sometimes believe the exact opposite should have been done.”
He has followed Stratford city council, taking note when the Xinyi Canada glass plant project was being discussed by council and groups around town were vocal in their opposition. Some in the community felt discussion about the glass plant project was secretive and the project was not the right fit for the community. Ultimately, the project did not move ahead.
Lewis, who said council was cast in the a spotlight of secrecy around the glass plant, decided he should run for council and try to do something for the city rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
“Apparently, 28 other people thought the same,” he said of a crowded field of 29 running for 10 city councillor spots.
Lewis said the city needs to address housing concerns that have rose to the top of important issues in the current municipal election campaign. He doesn’t fault the private sector for being ‘in the business of making money’, but does believe the city can work with them to ensure more new builds are affordable and they offer a variety of housing options for all residents.
“If the city sells land to developers, they should not be crossing their fingers in hopes they get some affordable housing out of it. I think they should be taking on the role of developer themselves, then you get exactly what you want. Cities in Europe do that a lot.”
Lewis said plans for those new developments should take into account that not everyone will be driving around.
“We need a walkable city. The city needs to be more involved in building the neighbourhoods we actually want.”
He would also like to see a more balanced relationship between residents and tourists, noting that locals too often get overlooked in the name of tourism.
Lewis would like to see the city look after its seniors, and would like a senior’s centre as part of the Grand Trunk project in the downtown core, along with an affordable housing aspect to the project.
“Whether we develop the whole area in one foul swoop or put the bones in and let it develop on its own…it needs to be a mixed community, commercial, different types of residential.”
Lewis would like to see term limits of eight years implemented in local civic politics. With at least five new councillors and a new mayor being elected later this month, at the very least, Lewis said the makeup of city council will be considerably different.
