Newsletter #3
Hi Folks,
I'm writing with news about what I've been up to, links to videos of recent events, information about the all candidates meeting Thursday, and important dates over the next month.
What I've Been Up To
It's been a busy few weeks.
Community Conversations: I had three 'Meet Jon' events over the past weeks. Two were hosted in private residences and one was a public event, hosted by Wanda Westover at the Rrampt Highfive space. You can watch the video of my introductory remarks from that event here.
It was great to have a chance to meet new people, talk about their dreams and concerns for our city, and share my vision.
Questions: I've been corresponding with individuals and organizations who have written with questions. I've started to put my answers to those up on the website with a Frequently Asked Questions page.
I also responded to a set of questions that Rebound Owen Sound sent to every candidate. To my knowledge, only two of us have responded. My answers are posted on the OwenSoundHub.org here.
Signs: The Owen Sound municipal sign by-law allows election signs to be up for one month prior to the election. I've chosen to only post signs on private property and am grateful to have distributed more than 100 over the first weekend. My hope with this approach is to provide an opportunity for neighbours to ask each other about the signs and talk about their priorities, concerns, and dreams for Owen Sound.
I didn't want to create a lot of single use plastic waste in the name of election signs so I sourced a recyclable option through a local printer, got old frames and signs from previous candidates, and with the help of volunteers folded and mounted my cardboard signs over the used frames.
There are still roughly 80 signs looking for homes, 20 of which have no frame and are suitable for a balcony or window. Please email me if you know anyone who would be interested and able to host a sign.
Brochures: I printed 5000 brochures to distribute. There are some at local businesses downtown, we've been handing them out while door-knocking, and on September 26 I dropped 2,900 of them off at the post office. They'll be mailed to apartments throughout Owen Sound. Housing is a major issue in this election but too often renters are left out of the conversation at both the Council table and during elections. I was concerned about my ability to physically get to every apartment and a mass mail out seemed like the best way to let as many people as possible know about my campaign.
My Next Steps
We now have less than a month before the election. Over the coming weeks I'll be working to hand out the remaining 2,000 brochures I have by knocking on doors, attending all candidates meetings, answering resident questions, and planning an election night celebration at the Harmony Centre.
Door knocking: We'll be knocking on doors in neighbourhoods throughout Owen Sound over the coming weeks. I'm grateful to have the support of some great volunteers for this.
Meet Jon Events: I have a community conversation scheduled with residents at St. Francis' Place on October 6 and a private event scheduled for October 13. If you would like to host a conversation with friends and neighbours, please be in touch and we'll arrange something.
All Candidates Meetings: The first all candidates meeting is Thursday September 29th at the Bayshore hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Doors open at 6 to mingle with the candidates ahead of time and the formal event begins at 7. There will be time for public questions. Please come and share your questions.
If you can't attend in person, it will be live streamed on Rogers.
The second scheduled all candidates meeting is on October 12 at 7pm at the Harmony Centre, hosted by Rebound Owen Sound.
Signs: I'm going to try to find a home for every one of my 200 signs. I could use your help with that. If you have friends or neighbours who you think would be interested in a sign, have them email me and I'll drop one off. I'll also have some with me at the all candidates meetings.
Election Night Gathering: I've booked the bottom hall at the Harmony Centre for Monday October 24th so that we can gather together, celebrate the last few months of community conversation and campaigning, and wait for the results from City Hall.
I've booked the hall from 6-9pm. It will be an alcohol free event but there will be coffee, tea etc. I'll arrange for some snacks and I'm asking folks to bring a baked good or treat to share if you can. Potlucks are great examples of how we collectively benefit when we share as we're able. Arrive at 6 if you want to help set up or come for 7-9pm for the hang. I'll include an RSVP link in a future newsletter.
How You Can Help
Yes, I'm thinking about election night but the campaign isn't over yet. There's lots of work to do between now and October 24 and I need your help with some of it.
Please reach out if you're in a position to:
- host a sign,
-join a door-knocking team,
- or want to help plan the election night gathering.
It's also a great help to have you:
- do what you can to increase voter turn out by telling your friends in Owen Sound about the election and voting process,
- attend the all candidates meetings,
- share social media posts,
- and get the word out through letters to the editor or calls to the Open Line. I'm including the description again below for how and where to reach out to share your perspective.
Voting: You'll be able to vote from October 14-24th online or by phone. There will be help centres set up at the City Hall and Heritage Place Mall. I need your vote if I'm going to bring my ideas and perspective to City Hall. You can vote for 1 Mayor, 1 Deputy-Mayor, and up to 7 Councilors. You don't have to use all of your votes. Don't feel the need to vote for someone who you wouldn't want to represent you.
If you have questions about the election process, visit owensoundvotes.ca
How to share your perspective
In the last newsletter I wrote that promoting voter turn out and starting conversations about municipal issues were important steps you could take to support this work. Here is more information about how to spread the word through local media.
You can submit letters to any of the local publications. Try to keep them under 750 words. Short and clear are always preferred.
Email them bcc to:
The OwenSoundHub.org: owensoundhub@gmail.com
The Owen Sound Sun Times: osst.news@sunmedia.ca
Grey Bruce This Week: dlester@postmedia.com
If you're not sure what to write about, consider writing about one issue that you think deserves more attention in this election. You could also write about the kind of Council you're hoping for, why you're voting, or what you expect from our elected representatives.
The Open Line is on 560CFOS at 9am Mondays - Fridays. You can listen on AM radio or on their website www.560cfos.ca
It's a call in show with different topics each day. Sometimes there is no topic - they call that the Party Line - and you can call in to talk about whatever you want to. Try to be concise and focused in your contribution as you'll often only get a few minutes on air.
The number for the Open Line is 519-376-7777. On busy days their lines fill up quickly so make sure to try multiple times if you get a busy signal.
Thank you for reading this far and for your interest in and support for my campaign. There's a lot of work to do to make Owen Sound the best that it can be but we have all the ingredients we need in the passion, expertise, and caring of our community. Our challenge in this election and beyond is to give all of that energy a place to flow.
Please also forward this to anyone who you think would support the values and perspectives I want to bring to the City Council.
Chat soon,
Jon
