Candidate believes in improving how city does business
Posted Jul 29, 2010 By Phil Ambroziak
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Tweet ThisEMC News - G. J. Hagenaars believes he has what it takes to make a positive impact on Ottawa city council.
Mr. Hagenaars, who is vying to become the next city councillor to represent Bay ward, filed his nomination papers in early June. The current Bay ward councillor is Alex Cullen, who is seeking the mayor's chair in the October municipal election. This is Mr. Hagenaars' first attempt at pursuing a career in politics.
"I've been looking at the way the city seems to do its business and I believe there are better ways to get things done, particularly in Bay ward," Mr. Hagenaars said.
Mr. Hagenaars explained that he has already started listing ideas about how the city can do things differently on his official website, adding how important it is to have ideas you strongly believe in when seeking to represent the public in an official capacity.
"Everyone says something needs to be done, but no one seems to come up with any actual ideas on what to do," he said.
"Sure, I don't have all the answers, but I have been looking around at what other municipalities have been doing to make things work better and believe there needs to be a greater focus on making these kinds of things work in Ottawa."
Among the many issues Mr. Hagenaars hopes to address if elected is the way the city handles its money.
"We have a significantly large budget, but the need to lower taxes is not where the problem lies," he continued.
"We need to figure out how to get the best for our money. When we put these ideas in motion, we will then start to see how much money we're freeing up and how we can use that money wisely."
Mr. Hagenaars said he also believes crime is an issue city council should take a more serious look at.
"Statistics show that crime levels are down in Canada, but in Ottawa, violent crime is up 7% this matches what I have been hearing from residents in the community who are afraid to go out after dark," he said. "Crime may be down, but is all crime being reported?"
The candidate said he has already raised his concerns regarding crime with the Ottawa Police Service, which informed him that the primary means of reducing crime is to have in place affordable activities for youth.
"Talking with Ottawa Police Chief Vern White, I have learned that giving youth affordable after school activities with mentors and coaches is one of the best ways to keep them out of trouble, and the City of Ottawa does not seem to pursue that as a priority," Mr. Hagenaars said.
"We need punishment after crime, and I would love to put vandals to work so they can pay off the damages they've caused to their victims, but we also need to pay attention to making sure that we prevent crime in youth, and get businesses to create jobs in our neighbourhoods to prevent crime among adults."
Voters can learn more about Mr. Hagenaars' ideas for an improved City of Ottawa by visiting www.bayward.ca.
"Most candidates use their own names in their website address, but my name is not as important as this community Bay ward and Ottawa," he said.
Although this is his first attempt at becoming an elected official, Mr. Hagenaars claims to have always been a "political junkie."
"I've always followed politics at all levels and have volunteered with numerous campaigns at the provincial level," he stated.
"I soon found out that the stuff that happens at the municipal level impacts people's lives everyday."
Originally from the Netherlands, Mr. Hagenaars came to Canada 17 years ago and has been a resident of Bay ward for 16 years.
"I've worked in the private sector and have owned my own business for the last few years," he said.
"People are very frustrated and tired about fighting with city hall. We need to make sure that our communities are part of the decision making process, and not just at the very end so we can pick out the colour of what the sound barrier should be."
Other candidates seeking the Bay ward seat at city council include Ike Awgu, George Guirguis, Peter Heyck, Erik Olesen, Greg Ross and Mark Taylor. Voting day is Oct. 25.
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