Tamara Stomp

I will share with you what I recently wrote on a separate fb thread about the importance of land use planning as the main job of municipal governance. I said the options are open as to what will work to do our best to maintain Kingsville's small town feel, yet allow development so our children can live in the community they grew up in, and others can join our community so they can carry on business, have a preferred lifestyle or retire here. We need to decide on balanced/smart development. This election is so important as it should herald in an enlightened period of development in Kingsville. If Kingsville keeps going the way it has been then we will have lost a great opportunity to (quite literally) pave the way for the future of our town. I am glad to see virtually all of the candidates realize the dominance of planning with all its facets of space, height, lighting, amenities, pavement vs. green space, parking/active transportation, drinking water, storm water, waste water, design, etc., and attendant consequences, that have to be considered. That is why choosing a new Mayor is going to be so very important. The Mayor is like the conductor of the symphony, who does not make the music alone, but rather brings together all the components needed to produce the finished product. This requires a skillset of inclusivity so each voice is heard, each idea is explored and each option is considered. To hear all that and guide it to a final choice requires leadership skills of many kinds. I believe I have those skills more than any challenger for the position. Working as a lawyer, especially as a high conflict litigation lawyer, has made me highly attuned to fairness and equity in the process. Note I said "process" and not "result". Because I cannot guarantee a result when I have one vote of 7. But I will use all in my toolbox to ensure that the best decision is reached. I have more experience, knowledge and integrity than any of my challengers. I am a hardworker and passionate about everything I do. For planning issues there are extra layers, as a lot of these issues are not within the municipal purview alone, but may require extensive assistance of the other levels of government. There is no challenger that knows legislation or political process better than I do. Nor does either know as much as I do about the needed cooperation of the counterparts. I am committed to working with MP Chris Lewis (I sat on Kingsville council with him before) and MPP Anthony Leardi (who I know from municipal politics when he was Deputy Mayor of Amherstburg, and as a family law lawyer). Everything has aligned for Kingsville to be piloting its agenda to the forefront of all levels of government with the right leadership. The electorate just has to make the right choice.