Westlake makes another bid for city council
Jeff Westlake has filed his nomination papers to run for council in Monaghan Ward.
He filed just days after wrapping up the campaign of Conservative MPP-elect Dave Smith, which he managed.
Westlake, 33, ran in Monaghan Ward in 2014.
Although he lives with his wife and two small children in Northcrest Ward, he says the incumbents there – Coun. Andrew Beamer and Coun. Dave Haacke – are his friends, and both are running for reelection.
So he’ll run in Monaghan Ward, he says, which is a fastgrowing area of the city and very popular with young families.
Meanwhile Westlake strongly supports the city’s controversial plan to extend The Parkway across the city, along a road allowance converted into a recreational trail.
He says there’s cut-through traffic clogging residential streets in the city.
“A lot of money we spend on transit, I think, we should spend on drivers getting where they want to go,” he added.
By that he means he doesn’t think it’s right that the city is spending $7 million annually to run a bus service (that’s the figure, he says, once transit revenues are deducted from the total cost to operate the service).
Furthermore, Westlake remains concerned about the earnings of city councillors. Last year he served on a citizens’ committee that reviewed councillors’ compensation: it recommended that councillors not get a raise and not get benefits (they earn about $28,000 annually).
Council accepted that, but recently voted to allow the next council to vote a final time on increasing the pay they receive to cover their expenses (to make up for the loss of a tax break in 2019).
“I will strongly oppose any efforts to increase their compensation,” Westlake said. “For parttime work, I think it’s adequate.”
He will be running against incumbent Coun. Don Vassiliadis, incumbent Coun. Henry Clarke and broadcaster Dave McGowan.
The election is on Oct. 22.