Author: Mike Cluett

Grand Opening of Tiger Jeet Singh Public School

Mike Cluett

 

I just returned from the opening of the Tiger Jeet Singh Public School and to echo some of the comments from people in attendance… WOW!

Hundreds of people came out to support the Singh family in this unprecedented opening of a new school in Milton.  Principal Rick Nodwell and the staff of the school were beaming with pride as the children chanted “TJS…TJS…TJS” showing pride in their school and their community.

Overhead a plane flew over the school as the children and people in attendance waved Canadian flags and cheered.  Inside the packed auditorium people listened to the dignitaries from other countries who flew here today for this event.  It was a highly emotional day for the Tiger family as a grin formed from ear to ear when it was announced the school mascot was “TIGER!”

The childrens choir got up to sing a very powerful song about being Canadian and they did a wonderful job as many in the crowd felt the emotion in their words.  In another emotional moment, Tiger Ali Singh, former WWE Superstar got up to speak.  He quickly broke into tears as he detailed the reasons why his father is a great man, and his personal hero.  Chants of TIGER filled the room when he came up to the podium to speak and you could quickly see how this school has become very tight knit and proud of where they go.  It was amazing to say the least.

Tiger Jeet Singh offered words of advice to the students before he  finished.  Stay in school, stay Tiger-fit and stay away from drugs!  A great message from a great man.

Its a wonderful accomplishment for this highly decorated individual who has never forgotten his roots, both in India and here in Milton.  Wherever he goes, whatever he does hes a Miltonian through and through.  Congratulations Tiger!  This is an honour well deserved by a wonderful man and a great family as well.

I’ll see you at the doors.

Momentum is building

Mike Cluett

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.

Profile of Ward 6 Contenders

Mike Cluett

MiltonSearch.com over the past few weeks has put together a number of profiles for the races in this years municipal election.  This weeek he profiles Ward 6 local council race (of which yours truly is running)  This website is a great source of what is happening in Milton, how to find out infomation on our town and great sports talk (that is if you’re a Leaf fan)

Check out the piece and make sure you vote (it is purely unscientific but you can vote anyways)

http://miltonsearch.com/2010/10/19/on-the-campaign-trail-the-ward-6-race/

I’ll see you at the doors.

6 Days Remaining

Mike Cluett

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.

12 Days Remain

Mike Cluett

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.

On The Right Track

Mike Cluett

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.