As Mayor, I will work with Council and City administration to:

• Clearly define the problem or need a proposal is intended to address.
• Consider practical options supported by reliable information.
• Identify capital and operating costs, funding sources, risks and long-term implications.
• Make supporting information public unless legally restricted.
• Explain major decisions in clear, accessible language.
• Define what success will look like and how it will be measured before a major project is approved.
• Report promptly when costs, timelines or expected outcomes change significantly.

Some matters must remain confidential for legal, labour, commercial, property or privacy reasons. Confidentiality should be used only when justified and permitted by municipal law, not as a substitute for public accountability.

As your Mayor, I will work with Council and City staff to:

• Establish clear priorities before the annual budget process.
• Review the City's debt, reserves, financial position and capital commitments.
• Require a well-reasoned business case before supporting significant new spending.
• Consider the full cost of major assets, including installation, operation, maintenance and replacement.
• Compare alternatives, including not proceeding, before committing taxpayers to a major project.
• Pursue grants, partnerships and other funding sources where appropriate.
• Strengthen long-term capital planning and management to maximize value for taxpayers.
• Clearly explain the trade-offs associated with major budget decisions.

As your Mayor, I will not promise that every request can be funded or that taxes can remain unchanged regardless of circumstances. I will insist that public dollars are spent carefully and that residents understand what they are paying for and what they will receive in return.

I will work with Council and City staff to:

• Explain what is being considered, why a decision is needed and what authority the City has.
• Provide clear information before asking for feedback.
• Use different engagement methods so participation is not limited to those who attend formal meetings.
• Consult the residents, businesses and organizations most affected.
• Report what was heard and how it influenced the decision.
• Explain respectfully when Council makes a decision that not everyone supports.

When municipal construction affects local businesses, engagement must begin early, well before a street is closed. As Mayor, I will support:

• Pre-construction planning meetings with affected businesses and property owners.
• Timely notice of schedules, closures, access changes and expected disruptions.
• Practical communication plans for customers, employees, suppliers and emergency access.
• Visible signage showing that businesses remain open and how to reach them.
• A named City contact who provides timely updates and responds to local concerns.

Meaningful consultation does not mean everyone will agree. It means people have a fair opportunity to be heard and understand the decision.

As your Mayor, I will:

• Build respectful working relationships with every member of City Council.
• Encourage fair debate focused on evidence, solutions and progress.
• Work with Council to establish shared priorities and direction.
• Respect the distinction between Council's governance role and staff's operational duties.
• Respect staff expertise while holding the organization accountable for Council's direction.
• Address disagreements within City Hall promptly, directly and constructively.
• Improve working relationships with the County of Lambton through shared priorities, regular communication and early problem-solving.
• Work in partnership with the County on housing, homelessness, social services, economic development, infrastructure and other shared matters.
• Strengthen cooperation with neighbouring municipalities, Indigenous communities, community organizations and other levels of government.
• Use strong mayor powers judiciously, transparently and only when in Sarnia's interests.

Sarnia and the County of Lambton may not agree on every issue, but residents are best served when both governments approach shared challenges as partners rather than adversaries.

As your Mayor, I will work with Council and City administration to:

• Establish a focused set of priorities, goals and outcomes for the term.
• Require City administration to establish performance indicators for Council's priority goals.
• Develop practical actions, reasonable timelines and measurable outcomes for priority goals.
• Identify responsibility for each priority goal.
• Connect priorities, goals and performance measures to the budget and capital plan.
• Publish regular progress reports in a form residents can readily understand.
• Identify delays, cost changes or obstacles to planned outcomes as early as possible.
• Review performance and adjust plans when evidence supports a different approach.
• Report clearly and promptly when commitments are delayed or not achieved.

Performance measures should provide useful information, not reporting for its own sake. They should show whether services and public dollars are producing the intended results.

As your Mayor, I will work with Council and City administration to:

• Require significant contracts to include clear deliverables, milestones and regular reporting.
• Support appropriate remedies or penalties when contractual obligations are not met.
• Require significant delays affecting quality, cost or schedule to be documented.
• Ensure delays claimed to be beyond a contractor's control are documented, reviewed and approved as appropriate.
• Document changes to project scope, design, cost or schedule before approval.
• Report promptly to Council when major projects fall behind schedule or exceed budget.
• Consider appropriate business-continuity, access and safety requirements in construction contracts.
• Review completed projects to improve future procurement and contract management.

The Mayor should not administer individual contracts or interfere with professional contract management. The Mayor and Council must set policy expectations, require reliable reporting and ensure obligations are enforced.

• Clear priorities and goals for the term of Council.
• Meaningful performance indicators tied to priority goals.
• A review of the City's debt, reserves, financial position and major capital commitments.
• Stronger requirements for presenting the options, costs, risks and long-term implications of major decisions.
• Public reporting that connects priorities to responsibilities, timelines and results.
• A review of contract-management practices and reporting for significant projects.
• Clear expectations for early engagement with residents and businesses affected by projects.
• Regular discussions with County of Lambton leadership on shared priorities and emerging issues.
• A public progress report identifying accomplishments, barriers and necessary adjustments.

• Major decisions supported by clear and transparent business cases.
• Greater clarity about how tax dollars are spent and what results they produce.
• Council priorities supported by goals, performance measures and public reporting.
• Stronger oversight of contracted work, costs and milestones.
• Written explanations, costs and approvals for significant contract changes and project delays.
• Improved long-term financial and capital planning and oversight.
• Public consultation early enough to influence project decisions and outcomes.
• Better communication and planning when construction affects residents and local businesses.
• More respectful and productive relationships among the Mayor, Council and City administration.
• A stronger partnership between the City and the County of Lambton.
• A City Hall that faces challenges, makes corrections and remains accountable to taxpayers.

As your Mayor, my commitment is to lead openly, spend responsibly and work constructively with others. Residents may not agree with every decision, but they should understand why it was made, what it is intended to accomplish and how City Hall will be held accountable for the result.