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Matthew Graham
The Township of Cavan-Monaghan is a special place. On our farm in Cavan, my brothers and I learned the value of hard work whether it was mucking out the cattle pen or drawing in hay in the heat of summer. But the most important lesson from my childhood is the value of community and what can be achieved when people work together.
Our community is growing. New residents are coming here because they want to be a part of our rural community. For our Township to protect what makes it so special, we will need people who care about our community to step up and work together to face the challenges that lie ahead. We are not a community divided between urban and rural interests, we are a growing rural community facing modern challenges together.
As Mayor, my first commitment to you is caring about affordability. I know our residents are struggling financially. Whether it’s the high assessed value of our new homes, or the looming assessment increases delayed by the pandemic on older homes, we need to respect our residents and provide core services while keeping taxes as low as possible.
I am concerned about the health of our residents. Our entire region has a growing problem accessing health care. Recruiting doctors is essential, but we don’t have time to wait for that solution and need to explore other opportunities to get our residents access to health care. Options include a nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic, or a regional Community Health Centre; I’m already talking with stakeholders who can help us explore these options for our community and the region.
As Mayor I will also care about housing and will work to create more diverse housing in future developments. We have not seen enough housing that meets the needs of our current residents to allow them to remain in our Township. What little controls and leverage we have at the negotiating table with developers needs to focus on ensuring we create lower cost, accessible and diverse types of housing so our residents can stay in their community.
I am running for Mayor because I know how important the decisions over the next four years will be for the future of our community, and how crucial it is that people who love and care for this community are making those decisions. Please visit my campaign website: www.grahamformayor.ca.
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Daryl Bennett
As a 38-year resident in Cavan-Monaghan and a long-time business owner in the region, I have maintained a personal and civic interest in the important matters that affect our community.
Ongoing discussions with members of the community have identified common issues that are of concern: the need to control spending, the importance of keeping tax increases at a sustainable rate and developing new sources of tax revenue and, a requirement to plan and build a health care facility that will utilize an expanded health care team approach. Along with that, comes the need to maintain essential levels of service – not an easy task. Some level of change will be necessary. My business experience has taught me, there is always a better way to accomplish goals and this certainly applies to politics.
There is a vibrancy when our youth are engaged in our sports community. We must ensure that the sports’ complexes, fields, playgrounds and buildings are built, maintained and refreshed to make sports activities safe and rewarding for all. The children of today soon become the leaders of the next generation; they deserve our support.
Again, input from citizens has made very clear that we must embrace our rural setting and maintain the uniqueness of all facets of Cavan-Monaghan. We can do this, if together we develop a common vision and shared goals. I will always seek community input as we move forward in the coming years.
Growth throughout the township is inevitable and beneficial if managed properly and indeed, many new homes have already been proposed. My position is to proceed from a basis of planned development with input from residents for all proposed housing projects and with added initiatives for job creation associated with these new developments.
The first weeks of the campaign are proving to be most rewarding for me as I meet with constituents, listen to their views, and offer suggestions in dealing with any concerns that are raised. It is my intention to continue to meet personally with individuals and organizations throughout the community in order to ensure I am fully informed on all important issues, going forward. I will continue to maintain an open-door policy.
If you are interested in sharing your views or concerns, please contact me and I will respond, or if requested, arrange a time to meet at your convenience.
