Hirtle running in Coldbrook
Joel Hirtle, a candidate in Coldbrook, recently provided responses to a Q&A SaltWire is providing to municipal election candidates.
Q. What's your full name?
A. Joel Hirtle
Q. What position are you running for?
A. Kings County, District 6 councillor
Q. Where are you from?
A. I was born and raised in Cookville, Nova Scotia. I'm from Coldbrook, just off English mountain road.
Q. What did you do before you decided to run for office?
A. I've spent the last 11 years working in the manufacturing industry here in Kings County. I've studied business at Acadia, leadership certificate plus ASQ technician training through courses at NSCC Kingstec. I've enjoyed time volunteering with a number of non-profit and not for profit groups.
Q. Why have you chosen to run in this election campaign?
A. I live here in District 6 and I've always been passionate about getting out and listening to my neighbours' concerns, helping them fix their problems. I bring fresh ideas to the table, but I also know good councillors should listen to the needs of the people without a personal agenda.
Q. What strengths would you bring to council if you are elected?
A. My biggest strength is my ability to learn new things. I challenge myself to learn new things, especially if they are something that most others would shy away from. I'm a natural communicator, I will talk to anyone. I'm not shy to meet people on an issue. I'm good at attaining all points of view and bringing together all sides on a solution. I have a strong work ethic. I'm able to learn complicated processes in a short time.
Q. What do you see as the biggest strength/asset of the community/ region and what measures would you take to capitalize on them?
A. Our biggest asset is the hardworking people of the area. We are world famous for our work ethic, and our good-natured attitudes.
Q. What do you feel is the key challenge facing the community/region and how would you work to address it?
A. There's not one key challenge. There are a lot of smaller but important challenges that matter to individuals. These are specific issues like having access to the walking trail with your mobility scooter to go to Foodland, getting a crosswalk put in to safely cross Highway 1, making sure people drive the right way down a one way street on Newcombe Boulevard. Finding out how to get a utility poll light in Cambridge.
Q. How can people contact you? A. Cell: 902-300-0872; e-mail: jmhirtle@protonmail.com,
Website: hirtle.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ JoelDistrict6
For the full Q&A, go to saltwire.com