|
|
 |
Councillors
Must Remember That They Represent & Speak On Behalf Of The
Constituents of their Individual Ward
|
|
|
| Each City Councillor must remember that he/she is elected
to represent a single ward.
If I am elected to serve Ward 6 - Hanmer & Val Therese, I clearly
understand that I am to be the voice of my constituents at City Council.
The Ward System is structured so that twelve Councillors are selected to
speak on behalf of the constituents of their respective Wards.
The only person on City Council who can say that he represents all of
the people in the city is the Mayor, who is elected at large.
Therefore, the major philosophical principle that must be adopted by
all councillors is that when we gather together to make decisions on how
to run the City of Greater Sudbury, we must first of all take into
consideration the desires and wishes of our constituents, and then under
the guidance and direction of the Mayor, we develop policy which will best
adhere to the desires of the people we represent.
Since the Mayor is elected by people in all twelve Wards, he/she is the
one who must try to mix the unique needs of all twelve Wards into policy
that respects those individual differences.
It is a mistake for Councillors to be elected by one Ward, and then sit
at Council and justify their decisions from the point of view of
representing the entire City.
In my case as Councillor for Ward 6 - Hanmer & Val Therese, I will
not be at liberty to support any policy decision that will go against the
specific wishes of my constituents. I represent the "collective
will" of Ward 6. I do not represent the "personal will" of
Robert Kirwan. In fact, if I am elected to serve as Councillor for Ward
6 - Hanmer & Val Therese, 'Robert Kirwan' virtually disappears. I will
not be sitting at the Council Table as Robert Kirwan, but rather as the
Councillor From Ward 6. I made this very clear to the general public in an
article that I put in The Vision Paper on April 12, 2006, and I intend to
keep that promise. |
| |
|
|
Robert Kirwan Enters The Race To Represent Hanmer &
Val Therese On City Council
Article
Appearing in The Vision Paper on April 12, 2006 |
|
|
Robert
Kirwan has announced that he will be seeking the position of
Councillor for the new Ward 6 in the upcoming Municipal Election.
Ward 6 consists of Hanmer and Val Therese.
In making the
announcement, Kirwan, who is shown looking over the boundaries of
the new Ward 6 stated that, “It
will be a great honour to have an opportunity to serve the
constituents of Hanmer and Val Therese for the next four years as
Councillor of Ward 6 for the City of
Greater
Sudbury
.
Everyone who knows me is
well aware of my commitment to Valley East, and in particular to
Ward 6 - Hanmer and Val Therese, where I have lived and worked most
of my life.”
Kirwan, who has
lived in Val Therese for the past 32 years, is a well-known public
figure in this community. His positive, motivational messages every
week in The Vision Paper are reflective of his philosophy of life
and his desire to rekindle the spirit of
Valley East
. “I have always been proud to declare my love for this town and
at this stage of my life I am convinced that the best way I can help
Valley East
once again achieve its true potential as a growing and thriving
community is by serving on City Council.”
For
the past two years he has been the public relations and marketing
manager of the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre where he has become
involved with most of the groups, organizations, churches and
schools in the community, assisting them with fund-raising and
public awareness campaigns.
While
employed as a teacher with the Sudbury Catholic District School
Board, Kirwan spent 23 years at
St.
Anne
School
in Hanmer. For nine years during that time he was responsible for
coordinating night school and summer school programs where he met
thousands upon thousands of local residents. Many people still talk
about the badminton and basketball games that took place in the gym.
Kirwan is also the publisher of Valley East Today, a
comprehensive community web site and Online Weekly News Magazine
through which he promotes the Town of
Valley East
and its businesses. The web site is located at www.valleyeasttoday.ca.
“I have always
had a passion for promoting my community,” Kirwan explained.
“One of my proudest moments as a resident of
Valley East
was the day we officially became a City. And one of my greatest
disappointments was on
January 1, 2001
when we lost that distinction and were amalgamated into the City of
Greater Sudbury
. For the past six years I have had a burning desire to rekindle the
spirit that we once had.”
Kirwan continued,
“The opportunity to step forward in a leadership role to
officially represent the people of Hanmer and Val Therese on City
Council, is something I have been wanting to do for a long time.
Ward 6 – Hanmer and Val Therese, is one of the strongest
geographic sectors of the Greater Sudbury Area.
I would consider it an honour to be chosen to represent my
friends and neighbours of Hanmer and Val Therese on City Council.”
You can find more
information about Robert Kirwan, including his personal and
professional background, as well as his positions on a number of
significant issues facing Hanmer and Val Therese by visiting his web
site at www.kirwan.ca Kirwan’s
campaign office is located at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
|
|
|
|
|
