Well, that was the toughest job interview I've ever gone through, that's for sure! 😄

If you happen to vote for me, your vote of confidence in me to represent you well at City Hall means a lot. I will spend the next four years working hard to prove that you made a good choice.

If you voted for someone else, I still appreciate that you took the time to take part in this very important democratic process. I wish there were more Londoners that did so as well, and were more engaged in how their city is run and our way forward together.

I also want to add that just because you didn't vote for me, it doesn't mean I've stopped trying to earn your confidence.  I will continue to listen to everybody's concerns in Ward 6 and do what I can to help when possible. Whether we agree on everything or not, you deserve someone who will listen, take your concerns seriously, and work hard on your behalf.  

While this election campaign has been tough, the real work will soon start as your Ward 6 City Council representative.

If you haven't reached out to me already, know that you're welcome to at any time. My email address is ian@ianleishman.ca and my cell phone number is 226-270-3988. If I'm able to answer right away, I will. If not, I will get back to you as soon as I can.

This has been quite a journey since filing to run May 1st. Six months of campaigning, and there is no way I could have got this far without a tremendous amount of support, from people donating, to putting up lawn signs, to many hours of volunteering, to so many who have encouraged me, offered great insight and advice. I'm really just so thankful for all of you. This has been a really inspirational time for me that I'll never forget because of you. So here's to the support of family, friends and neighbours, and while our city is not without it's challenges, to the amazing city of London!

I’ll Advocate For

FULL supports for the homeless
Safe streets
Better Coordinated Construction
Affordability
Reliable Transit
Expanding the TVP Pathways
Supporting our UNESCO City of Music
_____________________________________________

(Scroll down to read my letter for more about what I'll advocate for and why.)

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ELECTION DAY IS THIS MONDAY, OCT 26TH

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I'm running for City Council because of conversations I've had with people saying things like, "I can't believe what's happening in our ward and in London. Things have gotten really bad. It's not how it used to be."

And I kept thinking, someone should really do something about this. Then, after a while, I thought, well, maybe that someone is me.

So I put my name forward.

I never thought I'd try to become a politician, but here I am!

As Canadians, we're supposed to look out for people who need help the most. And we're obviously not doing enough of that.

People experiencing homelessness need FULL wraparound supports: a place to live, food to eat, and for many, mental health and addiction supports as well. (Click here for my 3 minute video on my CSE approach to addressing the homelessness crisis.)

Every Londoner should feel safe being downtown, too.

I'm a born-and-raised Londoner who grew up in Ward 6. Things were so different back then. I could wander the streets of our quiet neighbourhood without worrying about constant speeding cars, and I could spend time in a park or downtown London and feel safe.

A lot of things have changed for the better, too! I still love London, but we certainly have some work to do.

And that includes road construction.

We need better-coordinated road construction in London. The do-it-all-at-once approach has proven to not be helpful for Londoners. No one's saying we shouldn't do road construction. We just need to coordinate it better, rather than having seemingly all of our major arterial roads under construction at the same time.

Affordability is another very serious concern right now. Everything is more expensive, from food to gas to just about everything we need to get by.

And it's not okay that Londoners have been dealt a 26.9% property tax increase over four years. We can't let that happen again. It's simply not affordable. (Click here for my 30 second video about past 4 years of tax hikes.)

I'm not saying we need to keep tax increases at zero percent. What I'm saying is that City Council needs to spend within its means, not go way over budget on projects like the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), with cost overruns of about double what was initially budgeted, then only delivering about half of what was originally promised, and then expecting Londoners to just pay the difference.

It's not City Council's money to spend. It's Londoners' money.

Having taxes go up by the rate of inflation makes sense to me. If the cost of everything needed to run the city goes up with inflation, then okay, I get it.

We need to deliver the core services Londoners rely on every day, and we need to deliver them efficiently, reliably, and well.

I'm talking about some of the less exciting but absolutely essential things, like emergency services, clean water, roadwork and planning and development.

And on the topic of planning and development, new development needs to actually fit the neighbourhoods it's going into.

Putting high-rises in downtown London sounds good to me. Putting buildings that are way too large for quiet residential neighbourhoods? I'm not in favour of that.

I'll also say that I believe Western University should do more to provide residences for students on campus.

Students need places to live, so many have ended up in the neighbourhoods surrounding the university. I'm sure most all of them would prefer to live on campus.

More student residences could also provide a further revenue stream for Western, while giving students more suitable housing options.

Near-campus neighbourhoods in Ward 6, in Old North London, Sherwood Forest, Orchard Park and University Heights, are full of purpose-built, single-family homes, and many of them have been converted into student housing. Dining rooms turned into bedrooms, basements divided into three more bedrooms. These homes weren't originally designed for that, and it's not the most ideal living situation for students either.

We also need more reliable public transit.

I do think the BRT, should help with reliability. At least I certainly hope so, after spending almost half a billion dollars on it. (Click here for a 45-second video on how BRT costs nearly doubled the original budget.)

But when I say reliable, here's what I mean.

The London Transit Commission's goal has been to have buses running on time 90% of the time, with "on time" meaning within a five-minute window. In the first half of this year, that number has been below 70%.

That's not okay, especially considering how much investment has gone into improving our transit system. (Click here for a 57 second video about some bus shelters being installed underneath another shelter.)

Two final issues I want to touch on.!

I feel strongly that we need to expand and better connect the Thames Valley Parkway pathways throughout London. This is truly one of the gems of our city. And it's not just a beautiful place to walk or ride along the Thames River. It's a legitimate means of transportation for getting across London, and we should be making better use of it.

Lastly, and I believe we should really lean into our UNESCO City of Music designation. We should be supporting London's music community in meaningful ways, including financially.

And in regards to spending money, I want to touch on something that's important to me.

I was the manager of 103.1 Fresh Radio here in London, where I oversaw annual plans and budgets. So I understand the importance of managing money responsibly and delivering results.

And as president of the Old South Business Association, I'm inspired every day by small business owners who absolutely must stick to their budgets, manage their expenses, and do everything they can to provide an amazing product or service for their customers.

That's how the City of London should operate, too.

If money is being spent, there should be real value for every dollar. There should be measurable results established beforehand, and people should be held accountable for delivering those results and staying within budget.

As you may have read earlier, my one campaign promise is that I won't make promises I can't keep.

And here's what I mean by that.

I can't, and no City Councillor can, accomplish much of anything entirely on their own. Getting things done requires building consensus and working with other councillors to get the majority support needed to move new ideas forward or make changes to what's already in place. (Click here for 54 second video about leadership through consensus)

As a real estate broker, I've developed strong negotiation skills. Especially in this tough real estate market, some negotiations are tough. Sometimes you need to compromise to get things done.

But not getting things done should not be an option for Ward 6 or for London.

I'll finish with this.

Should I be fortunate enough to earn the support of you and enough of your fellow Ward 6 residents to be elected to represent you at City Hall, it would truly be an honour.

And there are a few things I would want you to be able to say about me afterward.

First, that I'm accessible.

If you call or email me and I don't answer right away, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I want you to know that you can reach me and that your concerns will be heard.

Second, that I'm accountable.

That I do what I say I'm going to do, with no excuses.

I'm not saying I'll never make a mistake. Mistakes happen. But you can be accountable for your mistakes, too, learn from them, and move forward in a better direction.

And finally, I don't pretend to have all the answers.

I'm certainly open to anyone's good ideas, and I'm willing to change direction when there's a better approach for the people I represent.

And if you've actually read this far, I feel like you deserve a congratulations ribbon or something. Haha!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering me for this important role.

My phone number and email address are below, and they won't change after the election. If you'd like to reach out, I'd be happy to connect with you.

I hope to earn your support on October 26th. You'll also find more information about voting below.

Cheers,

Ian

Ian Sterling LEISHMAN
Facebook.com/leishman.ian
Instagram.com/ian.sterling.leishman
tiktok.com/@iansterlingleishman
Mobile: 226.270.3988
ian@ianleishman.ca

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Election Day is October 26th!

If you didn’t get a voting card mailed to you, call 519.661.4535 to find out where you voting station is or visit www.london.ca/elections.

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