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Longshot candidate tells Ward 5 town hall he's the option for change

Alex Green has a tough task in trying to unseat Cathy Downer or Leanne Piper, and he knows it
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Ward 5 council candidates Leanne Piper, from left, Alex Green and Cathy Downer at Village By The Arboretum Tuesday. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

If Las Vegas posted odds on the Guelph municipal election, Ward 5 candidate Alex Green might be the longest shot on the board.

And he admits it.

Greeen is the lone challenger in Ward 5 to incumbents Cathy Downer and Leanne Piper.

Both women are seeking their fourth term on council, having each served 12 years. Neither have ever lost.

Green, a self-employed app and board game creator, ran in 2014, finishing sixth out of six candidates with 759 votes compared to 2,795 for Downer and 3,386 for Piper.

But the affable Green was front and centre at a Ward 5 town hall meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Village By The Arboretum, admitting that he was indeed a long shot to get elected.

“I’m a realist, I know my chances aren’t great, but small chances are better than no chances at all,” he told the roughly 100 people who gathered for the councillor and mayoral town hall.

“I looked at my chances and I said to myself ‘no one has done a good enough job at anything that they should get to be acclaimed after four years. Everyone should have to face the electorate at least once every four years,” Green said.

“I’m here to hold people to account.”

Green told the people that if they believe the city was just as good now as it was four years ago, then go ahead and vote for the incumbents.

But maybe, he said, it’s time for change “and perhaps it’s time to do things a little bit different.”

“Is the city better now than it was four years ago? In a lot of areas, it’s not. Crime has gone up, housing affordability has gone down. The transit system is a mess. The roads have pot holes in them, some of them that are older than I am.”

That situation, Green said, cannot be allowed to continue uncontested.

The candidates took questions from the moderator and from the floor, touching on familiar election issues such as parkland, legalized marijuana, affordable housing and the need to have a cohesive council.

On affordable housing Green called for less high density development and more medium and low density.

Piper talked of the need to redefine how we look at and define “parkland.”

Downer spoke of the need for the city to be more involved in the Wellington County-led affordable housing file.

“We give the county $22 million and we don’t have any say,” Downer said. “We need a larger role.”

Piper said the affordable housing issue is a complex one that requires a complex solution.

Things such as tiny houses, municipal policy, more accessory apartments and zoning bylaws all come into play in addressing the issue, she said.

Green said that he would like to see developers required to make 20 per cent to 25 per cent of a new development affordable housing.

All three agreed and accepted that legalized marijuana should be sold in Guelph in the proper way in the proper place.

Piper said retail stores allow for more than sales, but also education.

Green said it retail stores will help cut out the black market.

Downer said retail stores will be up and running by April 1 and it will be the provincial alcohol and gaming commission that decides where they go.

In closing, Downer said the city needs community leaders that work together, calling herself a “bridge builder” on council who provided “reasoned and balanced leadership.”

Green closed how he started, saying that “if you believe the city needs new ideas” and council needs new ideas, he’s your man.

“I’m the only other option for you, unfortunately,” he said.

Piper said “this city is ready for new ideas. This ward is ready for new ideas” and that she is a long-term thinker who will work for the constituents and for generations to come.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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