Meet the mayoral candidates of Westlake Gladstone - Scott Kinley

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Published on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

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Mayoral candidate Scott Kinley.

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By Scott Kinley

Making the decision to run for Mayor was one that wasn’t taken lightly I asked myself several times why would I want to do this?

I believe that when you reach a certain point in your life, it’s time to step up and take action. Take responsibility for your community and the multiple generations that live in it. Contribute. Don’t sit idle.

Age-friendly community

An age-friendly community needs to have all ages thriving in it. Decisions being made today need to not only protect the integrity of the senior population, but need to create a solid foundation for the next generation to thrive in. The decisions made today will create the environment that my generation needs to function in for years to come. The revenue-generating generation needs to take charge and do what’s best for the machine to keep running.

There’s an old saying, that if you want something done, hire a busy person! Busy people need to be more organized and be able to manage time more efficiently to get results. I consider myself a busy person, and believe I can be an effective leader in municipal politics because of it, not in spite of it. Plus, I have the best education money can buy - I’m self-taught in the real world.

Up front transparency

Being a business owner in a rural Manitoba community exposes elected officials to face conflicts of interest.  The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act clearly defines the need for upfront transparency. This is no different than the fact that you need a permit to develop, build and occupy dwellings. These rules are there to protect both rate payers and elected officials. Elected officials need to be trusted to follow the rules with no hidden agendas.

The Municipality has lots of moving parts, both in the form of people and machinery. Positive results come from being accountable for the efficient utilization of both. If equipment is not being utilized, we need to replace that asset with something that brings more value and shows more positive results. Having the ability to squeeze five cents out of a penny is something I do every day, and I will bring that expertise to the Public Works department. This is the same with our people. People need to be empowered to succeed. Staff need to feel that they are part of the equation, and listening to machinery operators and support staff can sometimes shed a different perspective on things. This allows council to change process to make things better for staff. Always work smarter, not harder.

A community remains healthy with a balance of hard work, family time, and fun. Our service clubs and recreation facilities need upgrades. This is accomplished by turning over every stone that grants may be hiding under, and engaging people to invest time to the clubs so they can continue. I’ve spent several years on the Happy Rock Children’s Centre Building Committee, and with a little hard work, I am very proud of the fact that our group has a new facility coming that will be debt free and available to service the needs of all parents in the Municipality of Westlake Gladstone. This is a perfect example of this generation recognizing that for future generations to prosper, a new facility was desperately needed.

The need for affordable housing in the area is definitely a hot topic. If people can’t afford to live, they can’t be expected to prosper. We need to create incentive for contractors to go out on a limb and build. If you build it  they will come! When people have a place to live, businesses are more inclined to invest in the area, as without people you can’t run a business.

As a business owner  I am heavily invested in recruitment. Being responsible for over 50 staff has taught me that every human has their own personality, which brings unique challenges to the table. Being mayor isn’t becoming an HR Manager; the role of head of council is to make sure that Human Resources are managed by support staff in the office, which we are fortunate to have on staff already.

To end, there is a great quote in the Municipal Act, that says “The public expects that council, and individual council members, will fulfill their duties responsibly, honestly and with integrity. When this occurs, the public can be confident that council is acting in the best interests of the municipality.” I believe this statement to be true, and realize that council’s main role is to listen to the public, carefully weigh out all options, and then make the decision.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please remember to vote on Oct 24.