By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Lisa Kearns has been the councillor for Ward 2 since she was elected in 2018. This October, the ward will have a new face representing it, and Kearns hopes the same will be said for the mayoral office.
Kearns launched her campaign for Burlington mayor in March and was the first candidate to do so. She has been an outspoken critic of incumbent Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and believes that the city is ready for new leadership.
“I’ve spoken with people from every corner of our city, and the theme is the same,” Kearns said. “Our city is ready for change, and they want to see a leader who will have both a background in business and corporate experience, coupled with community service. One who can lead us through the next four years that will come with challenges, of course, but more importantly, with incredible opportunity to become an even better city.”
Kearns said that this election is a referendum on leadership.
“That’s where our city has been weakest over the last two terms,” she said.
Kearns said that there has been “a loss of focus on the residents” and that distractions have caused losses at the Ontario Land Tribunal, rising tax rates, and an erosion of civic trust.
She said that residents are angry with the city’s spending, tax increases, and recent budgets.
“They’re [the city] just not driving enough value out of every tax dollar,” Kearns said. “And we know that because residents are very receptive to the fact that I brought three-quarters of a million dollars in savings to the budget and voted down the budget on the basis that it was not reflecting the financial challenges that everyday people in our city are facing. The year-over-year impact of this council’s continued spending under a strong mayor’s budget has been completely unacceptable to residents from every corner of the city.”
Kearns wants to establish a “Right Path” advisory committee that would review the budget every month.
“I’ve held budget workshops that are interactive, which no one else has, and I will continue to do that,” she said. “I will also release the budget sooner and give the community a better opportunity to review how their tax dollars are spent.”
Kearns said that she would have a “strong focus” on driving out consultancy costs and “nice-to-have” projects, as well as ensuring that any new staff hired are “directly tied to results for our community.”
Kearns said that she would like to optimize the city’s recreation and cultural facilities, return council meetings to 6:30 p.m., and implement a waste and fraud hotline.
Kearns also said that she opposes the use of strong mayor powers in “every form,” and previously brought forward a petition signed by members of the community asking the mayor to delegate the powers back to council.
“I believe that decisions are made best when all of our elected voices are at the table,” she said.
Kearns said that she was “the first and only voice on the data centre” and that “other members of council had the information for a week and did not say a single word.”
“I had already delegated at the Hamilton Council a month prior to bringing my motion forward at city council,” Kearns said. “And the outcome is something that has continued to erode our civic trust with leadership. We had the highest number of delegations, written comments, and the longest council meeting of the term to discuss this emerging issue. And to have nothing happen as a result, and to leave the chambers without a framework, without a freeze, and without guidance for our community is an absolute miss in this current leadership. So I am disappointed in the decision, and I hope that the residents will remember that at the ballot box.”
Kearns said she hopes her campaign will offer residents a different approach to leadership, spending and decision-making at City Hall.
To find out more about Burlington’s upcoming election on October 26, click here.
