Erik Gordon Ward 4

My Priorities

5 Priorities
for Ward 4

A councillor’s role is to listen to residents and to get results for residents. I will be guided in this role by five priorities.

Safety

“Grow a dynamic community that fosters inclusion and safety for all residents.”

Safety is not only policing. It is whether there is vandalism in a park, whether a child can bike to a friend’s house, whether a senior resident feels comfortable walking after dark, whether drivers respect traffic calming measures, and whether new families feel they belong in Stouffville. I spent a career responsible for the safety of hundreds of teenagers and staff a day, and it taught me that inclusion, pride in a community and safety are the same conversation.

Responsible development

“Protect the integrity of a small, family focused town while considering regional planning requirements.”

This is the defining question for our town, and it is not a choice between growth and no growth. York Region sets targets we have to work within. The real work is making sure the roads, the schools, the services and the parks arrive with the houses rather than years behind them. We have to ensure that current residents are served well by development. We have to ensure that our small town survives the process.

Family focused infrastructure

“Develop and maintain infrastructure that supports the well-being of Stouffville families.”

I worked for this Town’s Recreation Department running a children’s basketball league out of Summitview PS and then the Leisure Centre. I have seen directly what a gym, a field or a trail does for kids, and what it costs a town when those spaces do not keep up with growth.

Fiscal responsibility

“Allocate town revenue in a transparent and accountable way, in support of matters that are meaningful to residents.”

For nineteen years I ran school budgets and had to answer for them, in public, to parents and to the board. Transparent means a resident can find out what something cost and why. Accountable means somebody puts their name to the decision. I am used to both.

Community voice

“Ensure all residents have an opportunity to provide input into town matters.”

On the Bylaw Appeals and Property Standards Committee I met residents who were trying to be heard at the end of a long and confusing process. You should not need to know somebody at Town Hall to get a direct answer. That means returning calls with real timelines, listening to residents, holding office hours in the ward at times that are appropriate for working families, and sharing decisions in clear and direct language.

The approach

I will listen.
I will engage.
I will get results.

Twenty-six years in schools taught me that problems are not solved by having the cleverest answer in the room. They are solved by the person who actually heard the question, gathered information, discussed the options and constraints honestly, communicated a decision and then followed through.

Erik Gordon

Connect

What did I miss?

If the thing that matters most to you is not on this page, I want to hear it. I am knocking on doors across Ward 4, and what I hear from you will guide my actions.

Tell Erik How to vote