If you go way back in the archives of this blog…way back to the 2006 campaign, I made a point that residents should be more engaged in the political process locally.  There are many ways to accomplish this.  One of them is making sure that residents are informed as much as possible about decisions that affect them directly and indirectly.  I stressed during this campaign that I would make sure I continue to knock on doors in between election campaigns, and not just during them.

If there was a public meeting coming up about an issue that would affect residents, I will do my best to get out there and inform people of that meeting, whats being discussed, how it will affect them and how they can participate.  Not everyone can make every town hall or public meeting, but I will make sure they have a voice around the table.

Another great way is by a residents association or Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).  These groups are usually formed when the local officials aren’t listening to the needs and concerns of residents.  Recently, there was a new association formed in the Hawthorne Village area, which encompasses Ward 6, but it was formed for an entirely different reason.

During the last election campaign, I noticed an increase in awareness of local issues by residents in my ward.  Other councillors and candidates would say the same thing.  The Hawthorne Village Residents Association (HVRA) was formed by several concerned residents to be a part of the process, to stay involved and to work with council when decisions are being made.  I applaud all the members and participants in this process and will do my best to work with them and keep the lines of communication open.

Christina Commisso at the Milton Canadian Champion did an article recently about the formation of the HVRA.  Congratulations to Martin Capper and Andrew Salmons for co-chairing this committee as well as the many people who signed up.  We can only hope this will help enhance the flow of communication from town council to the residents in Milton.

Here is the article from the Champion.

Residents group forms

Christina Commisso, CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF November 16, 2010

What started as an online discussion following the municipal election has ballooned into a newly-formed residents group that hopes to strengthen the lines of communication between Miltonians and town council.

“We started with a post on the Hawthorne Villager (website), which got 1,600 hits and 60 posts from 20 different people in a matter of days,” said Martin Capper, co-chair of the Hawthorne Village Residents Association (HVRA).

The group isn’t exclusive to Hawthorne Village residents — it’s open to all Miltonains, he said.

CLICK ON THE LINK FOR MORE.

For more information, email HawthorneVillageRA@gmail.com.

WOW! Last night was a very exciting and humbling experience for me, my wife and my family. To see the support from everyone who came out to vote was just amazing.

Im looking forward with anticipation on the next four years of council. I promised to be respect your tax dollars, to work towards making our neighbourhoods safer and most importantly being accountable to you. There are a lot of things for new councillors to learn over the next few weeks and Im sure it will be challenging but I will do my best to meet that challenge head on.

To the people who came out and voted last night…THANK YOU for taking part in the democratic process and getting involved in our community. To see an increase in turnout from the last election is encouraging and Im hoping we can do better next time.

To my friends who helped during the campaign, with door knocking, with delivering flyers, with making phone calls, and with talking to other ward 6 residents…THANK YOU. Paul, Keith and Mike … your advice and help over this journey has been great. You are truly great friends and Im thankful for that.

To Kim & Ed…a very big THANK YOU for your help, your advice and your enthusiam. From helping with signs, to canvassing you two did an outstanding job and I am grateful for everything.

To the other candidates who put their names forward on a ballot and their families…THANK YOU. Its part of the process that seems to be overlooked. Its not easy on the candidates and their families during a campaign and it takes a special person do go through it.

Finally to my wife Pat, son Anthony and my little girl Miranda…Im almost speechless. The support you have shown me over the last several months has been amazing. There were many nights you wanted me there when I went to meetings or canvassing or putting up signs or meeting with voters but you showed me the support with more than words. I really enjoyed canvassing with you because it was more time to spend with you. Anthony is an amazing door knocker and super fast at delivering flyers and I loved seeing his big smile when he was done. I love you guys so much and I know things will continue to be busy (although not at this hectic pace) but you helped me in so many ways…I am so grateful and Im blessed to have you in my life.

As they say, now comes the hard part and its true. As difficult as the campaign was the work really begins in serving people in my ward and in the Town of Milton. Lots of things will be happening very quickly, from the 2011 budget to the intensification and to the Boyne Survey, and decisions will have to be made soon. I look forward to the challenge of this position and I hope I can count on you to stay part of the conversation we started and continue to help shape the future of our town together.

Thank you again to everyone! I’ll continue to see you at the doors.

Its been over 10 months since I began my campaign to become the local councillor for ward 6.  On January 11, 2010 I visited town hall and filed my nomination papers and started what was to become a tiring, yet satisfying campaign.

Over these past 10 months I have met many of you, a couple of times over, and heard what issues you find to be important.  In this time I spoke about 3 main things…responsible financial management, neighbourhood safety and accountability.

The first item of business for the new council will be to review the 2011 budget which has a projected 6.91% increase to the mill rate.  You have told me you want value for your dollar and you want your taxes spent wisely and this rate increase is simply too much.  Council needs to review line by line each item in the budget so we can see whats working, what isn’t working and where we can find savings.  I have made the promise I wont support the 2011 budget if the increase is over the rate of inflation.  I hope my council colleagues will work hard over that budget process to see if we can find the savings and give you value for your tax dollar.

We’ve talked about neighbourhood safety at length as well.  Im glad my opponent has been reading my blog since he started his campaign mid September and now understands this is an important issue.  Over the months and in fact the last few years, I have been talking about the importance of neighbourhood safety on our roads.  The town of Milton wants to become a pedestrian friendly town, but we need to look at options like traffic calming devices and other ways to slow down vehicles in the residential area so that all pedestrians are safer.  We’ve discussed the idea of a signalled crosswalk near Kennedy Circle and Thompson Road as there are people who would like to take advantage of the great splash pad and soccer fields on one side or others to go to Shoppers Drug Mart or Metro or the Dollar Blitz to shop without packing the kids in the car to travel less than 500 metres.  Over the next four years I want to bring these ideas forward and I need your input and help to get it done.

Last but not least, we talked extensively about accountability.  About being there when you call or email and giving you a quick response.  Ive promised, as I have done over the last 4 years, to update you on whats going on in Milton, at Town Hall, and how it affects you using this website/blog and other forms of social media like Facebook & Twitter.  During some important council meetings  you can find me sending updates through Twitter on what was going on, and when the decisions are made.  Its something I will do my best to continue as councillor, even though I’ll be sitting at the table, Ill make sure you can follow along.  Either by Twitter or what we hope to do is stream the meetings online so you can see whos working for you and asking the questions that need to be asked.

So now the brochures have been delivered and the doors have been knocked on and I’ve done my best to meet as many of you as I could over the last 10 months.  I leave it in your hands to make the decision on who you feel is the best candidate to represent all Miltonians at the council table.  If you havent made that crucial decision yet, I ask that you review my website and that of my opponents and see who has the plan for a better Milton.

You can vote today starting now at 10AM to 8 PM tonight.  If you live north of Clark Blvd in Ward 6 you will be voting at Guardian Angels on Bennett Blvd – and if you live south of Clark Blvd you will be voting at Hawthorne Village School also on Bennett Blvd.

If you have any last minute questions, call my cell (647) 888-9032!

Thank you everyone for making this a fun campaign.  Ive enjoyed meeting everyone and discussing the issues and while some of us disagreed we still came to the conclusion that the dialogue needs to continue and we need to work together to make Milton a better place.  I am humbled by the support I’ve received and the pledges of support and the volunteers who have worked endlessly to help me get the message out and for that Im eternally grateful.

I’ll update the blog once the polls close and the results come in.  Afterwards I will be at Ned Devines celebrating with other candidates, supporters, friends and family so feel free to drop by tonight (I’ll be there roughly after 9ish) and say HI!

Until then….I’ll see you at the polls.

With only a few days left in the campaign, I have a good feeling that the momentum is building.

When either myself or one of my campaign team knocks on a door, many know who I am, what I stand for, what I have done over the last few years and what I will do for them if elected.  If comments received at the door are any indication we should have a good turnout on the 25th.

Every moment counts now up until the polls open on Monday and I am spending as much time as possible knocking on doors speaking with as many ward 6 residents as I can.  Chilly nights (and they have been chilly) don’t stop me because its important to reach as many people as I can to hear what your thoughts are in the direction of Milton, the plan I’ve put forth and what we can do together to improve the quality of life in Milton.

If you haven’t made your decision yet, please take some time to review my “WHY MIKE” section, watch the videos of the Thanksgiving Debate, my Milton Today TV interview and my TV Cogeco statement.  Call or email me if you have any questions at all because I’m interested in what you have to say.

With so many changes happening in Milton over the next few years and beyond, its important that you have a say on the representative sent to council to speak for you.  I have been in this campaign from the beginning and over the spring and summer, I have knocked on doors to find out what you have to say.  My decision to run for this position wasn’t made at the last second…its been constant.  My service to Milton didn’t begin the day my name went on a ballot…its been constant.  And it will continue to be constant after October 25th.  Its important that you vote.

Three more days remain until the polls open at 10am Monday so until then, I hope to see you at the doors.

Sore feet.  Sore legs.  Voice diminishing quickly.  Yep, its getting down to the last few days of a campaign.

I don’t know exactly how many kilometres my feet have walked in the last few weeks but I’m sure its close enough to a double marathon race.  Over these last few days I have met and talked with many of the voters in Ward 6 who have appreciated my attempt at bridging the gap of communication between town hall and the voters.

It hasnt been easy, but I’m working hard so I can work for you.

Lawn sign requests continue to come in on a regular basis and I will do my best to get them out as soon as possible.  A lot of attention has been drawn to the number of signs in our area recently and as I’ve said before … signs are good but votes are what makes the difference.

I’ll be heading to town hall shortly to get the list of the people who voted in the advance poll over the weekend.  Speaking with a few of the workers at those polls, turnout has been great.  That’s a good sign.

Not only a good sign for the chances of electing Mike Cluett to town council, but for overall turnout in general.  Last election in this area only 23.5% of people came out to vote.  I don’t know if it was people thinking “my vote doesn’t count” but the fact I wasn’t successful that time by only 92 votes shows that every vote DOES count.

There is only one more day available for voting and that’s Monday October 25th. 

I know as a parent of two children myself and whose wife also has a full time career, that things can get crazy.  Picking them up from school, getting dinner ready, homework, sports activities and runny noses takes up a lot of time.  I can only ask that if you haven’t voted yet, please take some time on the 25th to cast your ballot in Milton’s election.

Its been a common theme over the last few elections here in Milton that there’s a lot of change coming.  And there is.

From the intensification of Main Street, to the Derry Green Corporate Business Park, to the Milton Education Village and possible campus of Wilfrid Laurier University, to the Boyne Survey; there are a lot of changes coming to Milton.  You need to be kept up to date on those changes, how they affect you and how your council member can help get you involved in that process.  Its our town and we all want the best for our town.  It’s important that you’re involved as much as possible.

That’s why I want to be your councillor.  With the busy lives we lead on a daily basis, its hard to make it to a public meeting or council meeting where these issues are being discussed.  I want to be your elected representative to attend these meetings and speak out on your behalf.  I want you to be able to email me anytime with questions or concerns that I can bring forward to the table if you cant be there.

That’s the reason why we have a council.  To be your voice around the table when these decisions are made.

Over the next 6 days, I will be doing what I can to talk to as many of you until the 25th.  Please take a moment to view the videos I have on the main page that include the Milton Today TV Debate from Thanksgiving Sunday, to my interview with Kelly from Milton Today and my TV Cogeco statement where I outline why you should vote for me.

I’ve been working hard since the last election to make sure I kept the committments I made to you back then, and I think I’ve done that.  Ive attended council meetings, budget meetings, public meetings and reported the results on my website.  Ive been critical of council when it was deserved and applauded them when it was due.

Every vote counts and I hope to earn your support and vote on election day.  Thank you for making this campaign fun, challenging and inspiring as well.  Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Getting down to the nitty gritty with Milton Election 2010.  There are only 12 days remaining in the campaign and things are beginning to heat up.  While out door knocking last night, I found that a there are a lot of people who are starting to look at the candidates, their platforms and what they can do for everyone in the Town of Milton.

One of the main questions I am asked at the doors is “What sets you apart from your competition?”

In one word, commitment!  Back in 2006 I ran for local council (for what was then called ward one…it now encompasses the new wards 1, 6, 7 & 8 ) I continued with the commitments I made then.  I had promised to keep people informed of what was going on at town hall by using my website and blog as a source of information.  I attended council, committee and public meetings throughout those 4 years and reported on the changes that were happening in Milton. 

I spoke out against council when they made decisions that didn’t make sense and praised the decisions that did.

My commitment to serving Miltonians didn’t come at the last second.  I launched my campaign back in January of this year and since April, I have been knocking on doors, leaving information on me, what I stand for and what I will do if elected.

Many of you that I have spoken with recently remember me from the first time I came around this year and from the previous times over the last few years and know that my commitment to serve Milton at town council is strongly routed in helping improve our community and make it a better place to live.

It’s my hope that after October 25th, I can continue to serve Ward 6 and Miltonians alike at the council table and to help steer it through the changes we will have to face and the decisions that we will have to make.

I want to ensure that the voters in Ward 6 have a say…to be a part of that process and for me to be your voice at the council table.  I hope that I can earn your support and your vote on Election Day and be able to work for and with you for the next 4 years.

Lots of doors remain to be knocked on and even though it’s tiring physically, the support you show for me is energizing.  I’ll see you at the doors.

An election  campaign can be a very busy time in a candidates life and times a very quiet time in a candidates life.

For hours on end, a candidate can knock on doors to speak with the voters in their ward, passing out information on who they are, what they stand for and what they feel the issues are in the area.  Many of you tell me what you think as well and that dialogue is important.  For some though who haven’t yet made a decision on who they will be supporting on October 25th, some reply with I’ll have a look and see.

What I find the most satisfying are the emails I receive from Ward 6 voters letting me know I am on the right track.  In the last 48 hours, I have received dozens of emails from you in the ward saying they watched the Milton Today TV debates from Sunday, either live or on demand (see my home page for the links) and they support what I’m talking about for the future of Milton.

Here are just some excerpts:

From Gilles:

“I’ve had the opportunity to speak with you at my home and listen to you speak during the Thanksgiving debate and you have my vote on October 25, 2010″

From Morgan:

“Just saw the debate online.  You did very well, and your rationale regarding the health care situation was excellent!  On all questions, I’m glad to see that you focused on your values and what you would bring to the table.  Good job, keep it up!”

The health care situation he speaks of is obviously the hospital expansion and what the Town of Milton can do to speed up the process.  My opponent asked me directly why Im “against the provincial government” on this.  The answer is quite clear.  We cant move forward as a town on the expansion of Milton Hospital until we know if the province of Ontario approves it.  THEN we can work towards plans, diagrams, money needed for local portion and everything else that comes with it.

NOTHING can happen until the provincial government gets “off its duff” (my words from the debate) and approves Milton, the fastest growing community in Canada, so we can get started.  No matter what the expansion looks like, we need to know.  We needed to know years ago, but they dragged their heels and they havent made Milton the priority it should be when it comes to the delivery of health care services in our area.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me during this campaign and your words of support and encouragment are uplifting to say the least.  Nothing motivates me more to continue to knock on doors and speak with as many of you as I can before October 25th.  You can email me as always, mike@mikecluett.caor click on the Contact Mike section of the site.  I look forward to speaking with as many of you as I can before the 25th.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that everyone enjoys their time with friends and family over the course of the long weekend to reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. Of course, I am very thankful for my family, my wife and children, my friends and campaign workers and for the fact we live in a great town and a great country.

We celebrated yesterday one of the things that makes our country great…democracy. Milton Today TV hosted an all candidates/meeting debate at the Holiday Inn in Milton yesterday that was quite successful and apparently there were a large number of people logged in to view the proceedings.  This event was really well run from the beginning to the end and congratulations to Milton Today TV for pulling it off.

If you go to the WHY MIKE page, you will see a video for the 1st half of the event.  Ward 6 began at 1 hour 20 minutes into the video, if you’d like to fast forward.  If I can find out if UStream can start a video at a certain point, it can be a lot easier to start off with us.

Thanks to everyone who sent me emails, tweets and phone calls of support after watching the debate…your encouragement  is much appreciated.  A few of you have noticed some of the items that came up during that debate on behalf of my opponent.  One of those items was a new found understanding of local issues.  I guess he does have time to look at my website www.mikecluett.ca

Most of the issues he raised for the first time during this campaign began a month ago, have been raised on my website for the last several months in fact the last few years.  That’s fine for me, because imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

As Amir posted yesterday, he seemed a bit puzzled at my opponents comments about Clark Blvd saying cars “are running (at speeds of) 100 to 120 (km/hr)”.  Having talked with the residents along that route for the last few years they know there is speeding but those speeds are a bit of an exaggeration.

I am also glad my opponent has realized that there is a need for some kind of signalled crosswalk near Kennedy Circle and Thompson Road so that pedestrian traffic can make its way safely across Thompson road for both ward 7 and ward 6 homeowners.  This is something that both myself (also here) and Rick DiLorenzo have been discussing for the last year, so welcome aboard.

I think that after people watch our portion of the debates, it will provide them with a clear picture of who can be the best representative at council for residents in Ward 6.  Over the last several years, I have attended council meetings, budget meetings and committee meetings to make sure I have a clear understanding of what is coming for the town of Milton.  My committment to Milton voters wasn’t made at the last minute.  It’s been something I have worked with you since 2006 and I will continue to work for after October 25th.

Speaking of voting, today is the first day of advance polls in Milton.  You can head down to Hugh Foster Hall all this week from 10am to 6pm to cast your ballot early in case you wont be able to make it on the 25th.  Believe me when I say this, advance polls are great because the lineups are generally shorter and you get in and out a lot quicker.  So, if you want to take the family to downtown Milton, grab your voters cards and cast your vote for Mike Cluett…Ward 6 Councillor.

I’ll see you at the doors.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Yesterday was quite the busy day for many of the candidates for Milton Town Council.

In the first meeting, 32 candidates lined up along several tables to speak about seniors issues in the Town of Milton and what can be done by council to help improve the quality of life for what I called the ‘builders” of our community.

As many candidates have stated over the course of the campaign, my wife and I  were first drawn to Milton by its sense of community spirit, openness and warmth from the people in town.  That doesn’t happen by accident or overnight.

That sense of community is built by the people who have lived here long before we were Miltonians and many of those people are the seniors in town.  They may not have built the town in a bricks and roads sense, but they are the ones who have and continue to bring that sense of  community spirit.

A lot of ideas were shared and there was almost unanimous agreement from everyone around the table that our seniors need to be heard and action taken on a lot of their concerns.  From the Bruce Street Library to what we can do about long term care and hospital services topped the agenda.

Then after a quick dinner break with the family, I headed back to the seniors activity centre for another all candidates meeting, this time specifically for wards 1, 6, 7 & 8.  The turnout was lower than expected but from some of the comments I heard, they liked our “informal” style of speeches.  Each candidate was given 10 minutes to talk about themselves, their platform and other issues raised by posters on the Hawthorne Villager forum.

It was great to meet some new people and get an idea of other issues they face outside of the “top” ones most candidates talk about.

I spoke about my platform of responsible financial management, neighbourhood safety and accountability.  Other topics discussed ranged from hospital expansion, infrastructure development, Milton Education Village as well as the Derry Green Corporate Business Park. 

One of the funniest stories came from Brian Penman, candidate for Regional Council Wards 1, 6, 7 & 8 back when he was first elected as councillor.  He got a call from a constituent who reported a horse running around the intersection of Derry Road and 9th Line (you have to imagine what that area looked like 30 years ago…nothing like it is now.)  He jumped in his truck and headed down to “solve the problem”. 

When he got there he spoke with a police officer who asked “Who are you?”  With pride and chest puffed out, Brian mentioned that he was the councillor for the area.  The officer then smacked the horse and moved it over to the Milton town limits and said, “Well, now its your problem!” and drove off.  LOTS of laughter in the crowd with that story.

All in all, it was a good meeting with some interesting discussion afterwards with voters from all wards and we did get a chance to clarify our stance on certain issues.  Many thanks to Steve and Kelly who organized the event, brought snacks for everyone and accepted Food Bank donations as well.  My donations went to the Food Bank the day before through Miranda’s daycare so it all went to the same place.

I have some new brochures made and I will be sending them out to as many homes as possible over the next 3 weeks as the election day approaches.  Remember that there are also a number of opportunities to vote, if you cant make it on election day so keep that in mind and get out to vote.

I look forward to speaking with more of you and I invite you to ask me any questions at all through this site, or my email mike@mikecluett.ca

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Here is an article by Christina Commisso of the Milton Canadian Champion regarding some of the events coming out of the most recent Administration & Planning committee meeting.

“We heard from (Milton trustee) Donna Danielli that the school board was working on base statistics of about three children coming out of a household. Last week we learned it could be up to double that,” said Councillor Paul Scherer at last week’s town council meeting. “The implications in terms of us not getting those numbers right going forward could have a tremendous impact on the tax base in Milton.”

Paul brings up a valid point.  If we as a council moving forward, make plans for programs we need to know if there are any major changes to the demographics in town.

To say that Milton is a family friendly town would be an understatement.  There are some streets I canvass in Ward 6 that its easier to count on one hand the number of homes without children.  You can call it Milton’s Baby Boom.

Councillor Scherer asked town staff to come back to the new council with an updated report on population projections as we are rapidly approaching the beginning of the Boyne Survey.  The “Boyne” as its referred to, will be the newest development in Milton that will bring close to 60,000 new Miltonians to town.  It stretches from James Snow Parkway from the east to Tremaine Road in the west, all just south of Louis St Laurent.

During this election, you have heard from candidates that we need “better planning”.  I think this report will go a long way to making sure we are on track with projections.  It’s not just a matter of the number of homes built and roads that are  constructed…its other services that the Town of Milton provides that might be under even FURTHER strain.  It’s services like the library, recreational facilities, and more importantly schools.  If we are low in our projections, down the road we will be squeezed at the delivery of the many services the town provides.

I look forward to reading this report when it comes back to council on the 20th of December.  I invite you to send me your comments, questions and concerns to mike@mikecluett.ca and I’ll add you to my email list for when updates on this are issued.

**********

Also, last night I attended the only all candidates meeting for the public and separate school board trustees in Milton.  I’ve talked about this position before as one that’s seems to be overlooked by a lot of people.  In fact, in previous elections, they used to have the trustees go first because most people would leave the debates/meetings after the Mayor and Regional Council speeches.

These people are entrusted to deal with the developments in our schools and the safety of our children…and most people don’t even know who the trustees are.  Last night 4 of the 5 candidates vying for the 2 jobs had a chance to speak and tell us a little about them.  I must admit, it was nice being on the OTHER side of the table for once.  Being a candidate myself, Im used to being the one talking instead of the one listening.

The candidates for Public School Trustee are Nancy MacNeil, Brian Hawley and Jafar Alam (Jafar wasn’t there last night due to a business engagement).  Both Brian and Nancy did a great job letting us know a little about them and what they would do if elected.  Its hard to talk about what you will be able to do, if you dont know the job or have no experience so both candidates were brutally honest about that fact.  Its going to be a tough choice for sure.

The other two candidates are running for the Halton Catholic School Board position.  Sandor Koso is the current trustee, but Diane Rabenda is a strong challenger and from the comments I heard last night from those in attendance, its a coin toss.  Great candidates all around.

Speaking of All Candidates meetings, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that tomorrow (Wednesday) is an All Candidates Meeting for the wards 1, 6, 7 & 8.  All candidates for all positions have said they will be there, so this is a good opportunity for you to come out and see what your next  council might look like.  You can go to the Hawthorne Villager website and get more info on times and location.

If you come on Wednesday, please stop me and say HI!  Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.