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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.

Thanksgiving Debate

Mike Cluett

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.

All Candidates Meetings

Mike Cluett

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.