Susan Jagminas-- Georgina mayor candidate

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 16

I am a longtime resident of Georgina, having grown up and spent much of my life here. I graduated from Keswick Public and Sutton District high schools. I have a bachelor’s degree with a double major in environmental studies and history of science from York University. I also have a master of arts degree in journalism from Western. Additionally, I have my professional designation as a project management professional. I have worked in communications in the public sector for most of my career, with experience at York University, St. Michael’s Hospital and most recently, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, where I am currently on an unpaid leave of absence while running in this election.

With my background in communications, I am keenly aware of the importance of a two-way conversation as integral to building an engaged and empowered community. I hear time and again that residents don’t feel they are being heard. They tell me they can’t get answers, and they feel frustrated with what they believe are secretive processes.

If elected, I will listen to the concerns of residents and will serve their needs. I won’t talk for the sake of talking. I will be upfront and I will admit when I don’t have an answer or when I’ve made a mistake. I will ensure that decisions are explained in plain language so that they are easily understood ... I will not make residents wade through pages and pages of studies and reports to get simple answers.

Some of the issues I will champion:

Fiscal responsibility-- I will not move forward with projects unless a clear need has been identified and justified through consultation, review and analysis, AND there are clear outcomes or deliverables that can be tracked and reported on.

Transparency and accountability-- I will ensure that the decisions made by staff and council include a plain language explanation. I will not slough off issues to other levels of government. If it requires other levels, I will advocate at those levels with residents.

Waterfront strategy-- A municipality with 52 kilometres of shoreline should have a waterfront strategy. I will bring it back into the budget. We should not be expecting enforcement to solve our waterfront parking problems.

Short term rentals-- Absentee landlords renting entire homes to large groups in residential areas is wreaking havoc on the lives of residents, myself included. I will push forward for short term rentals to be restricted to principal residences only, like many other municipalities have done. We cannot let them continue to abuse the system, and destroy the character of this community.

These are a few highlights of some of the issues as I see them. If you have an issue you’d like to discuss, I can be contacted the following ways:

Campaign Office: 404 The Queensway South, Keswick.

www.susanjagminas.ca

susanjagminas@gmail.com

905-836-3469