Candidate name: Michael Sprayson

Occupation: Self-employed

Position on council: Councilor

Contact information: vote@michaelsprayson.ca

Social Media: IG /michaelsprayson FB group /groups/michaelsprayson

Campaign Website:www.michaelsprayson.ca

Newsletter Sign-up http://eepurl.com/h8DZWb

Biography

Michael has called Northumberland County home for 36 years. Cobourg has been home for 14 years. Cobourg is where Michael and his wife, Alison raise their three teenage boys.

Unafraid to test new solutions and unwilling to accept that the way it’s always been done is the way it should continue, Michael meets challenges with persistence, flexibility and purpose. Unwavering resiliency has served him well and has worked to provide lessons in stretching a dollar, adjusting to unexpected circumstances and looking for solutions instead of more problems.

Michael has relied on his entrepreneurial resolve for the last 17 years as he has worked to improve homes to sell and create rental housing. It has been in the last few years his interest has turned towards the ability of the private sector to develop obtainable housing and is in the process of attempting to do just that with two projects now.
Michael is a Red Seal Certified Chef, has a BA (Hons.) in Business Administration from Trent University and an MA in Business Management from Harvard University.

Identify one hobby or guilty pleasure you do that is not related to your profession or politics: For recreation, I enjoy cycling and rowing.

Please answer each question clearly and concisely in no more than 500 words.

1.Why are you running for council?

I don’t believe you can continue to complain about things unless you are willing to try and do something about them and I have a few things I keep wanting to complain about.

2. What is the single, primary reason you are running?

I own a property in Cobourg. It’s one acre and in-town. I wanted to explore building multiple rental residences (up to 32) and gear them towards people who work and can’t afford to live here (what many call ‘affordable’ or ‘obtainable’ housing). The problem I had was with the zoning. It was zoned residential non-conforming and then painted with a broad brush of light manufacturing-employment. When I approached the planning department, I received a preliminary report that cast the property in a very negative and unworkable light. So much so that when I forwarded this report to several suggested consultants, not one was willing to take my money to go forward with re-zoning because of how the Cobourg planning department wrote the report I was provided. The biggest problem, as I was told, was the ‘Employment’ designation. There are no environmental issues and no other restrictions. A family lived in the house on the property for 60+ years.

So, I did some research for myself. After being told by the Cobourg planning department that is was next to impossible to remove the Employment designation, I discovered that’s just not true. I provided several links to provincial mechanisms and mandates, cited legislation and reminded staff of the gigantic list of people needing housing. They were not persuaded. I turned to the mayor and Nicole Beatty, the councillor tasked with co-ordinating planning and development. At first, Mayor Henderson walked the property and seemed to like the idea. I provided him with all the documentation that I had sent the planning department and I never heard from him again. To be honest, I was not surprised by that. Councillor Beatty, on the other hand – who brands herself as a champion for the needs of others and an advocate for the unhoused – I was surprised by her reaction. Please note – I wasn’t asking for any money from the town or to have any fees waived. After sending everything to Nicole, she simply regurgitated what Glenn said. I was disappointed in her defeatist attitude. I also taken aback when I discovered later that no other councillors were informed of what I was trying to do from the department or their co-ordinator. It’s a strange approach for someone who champions these causes and then, when brought a potential project…nothing.

3. What will you do to address this issue?
I am campaigning on issues that I am informed about and am willing to work towards. I say what I mean, and I do what I say. I don’t pretend I can do something when I can’t. And I won’t waste time creating false hope surrounding issues that are not within the realm of responsibility or ability of the municipality. I will work hard for solutions that will impact the quality of life for the people of Cobourg and do so with focus and sincerity. If I believe a concern cannot be adequately addressed by municipal council, I would potentially explore other resources, but I would always clearly communicate. I’m not afraid to ask questions and I’m certainly not an expert on everything. I will always do my best to find people who are experts, but I won’t waste time or money on a pipe dream that I can’t see through. We don’t have the liberty of time or money when serious problems need to be solved.

4. Identify one success of the previous council?

I’ve been trying to think about something that stands out and I come up short. I don’t feel so bad because I’m not sure they (the current councilors) can see their own successes as none of them are promoting anything notable on their own campaign material. The last four years seem pretty unproductive to me.

One thing of note that I was happy to see was the decision making that resulted in the parking fee structure this summer. I’m not saying that the decision itself was good or bad (the data isn’t in on that yet), but council demonstrated that a meaningful decision can be made without the approval or direction of a consultant and that, in itself was a good thing.

5. Identify one criticism of the previous council?

All of the current councilors ran on very similar issues including transparency in action and communication, affordable housing, fiscal responsibility. Because their platforms were so similar, one would have thought it would be reasonable to get things done over their term. I truly believe these issues got worse. People do not feel listened to, no movement or solutions were offered regarding affordable housing, it’s next to impossible to get straight answers (or even, an answer) from staff or council (the mayor is known for email responses of ‘noted’ and nothing more, followed by no further communication). Community members do not feel heard from the council that promised to listen to and communicate with them. And, of course, taxes are going up.

5. How will you address the one issue you identified from the previous council?

I feel like I’ve already started to address transparency and information-sharing. I have a daily (M-F) newsletter in which I answer questions that are sent in directly from voters. I respond promptly to emails. If elected, I would still respond promptly, and my newsletter would continue on a weekly basis. I would also host monthly town hall meetings. With concern to the housing issue, my thoughts will not fit into 500 words. I will be doing a focused week in my newsletter on the issue due to the voter questions that have already been submitted through my website. Watch the campaign newsletter September 12-16 for more details.

6. Why should voters select you over others?

Voters should consider voting for me because they see something in me that represents their thoughts, interests or motivations; because they don’t see those things in other candidates. Voters should support my candidacy because I care about the quality of life they experience in Cobourg.