Wolfe Island is and has been a big part of my life, for as long as I can remember. I've lived in several communities in Ontario, but Wolfe Island has always felt like home. My connection to the Island goes back more than 150 years, when my family first arrived here. Most of my earliest memories were made at Brophy's Point, a peninsula at the end of the 10th Line on the St. Lawrence River. That is where I learned to swim, fish and hunt. It is where I discovered how a community supports one another.
What started in summers at a yellow cottage eventually became more permanent. Coming to Queen's University and starting a law practice in Kingston kept me close to the Island. My wife and I have now built a home here and are proud to be growing deeper roots on the Island.
Over the years I've given back where I could, helping Islanders with legal issues, publishing a summer newspaper, organizing a hockey tournament to support our outdoor rink and co-founding the Wolfe Island Literary Festival. Different projects, same reason: this community has given me a lot and I want to give back.
I've worked over three decades as a lawyer, and twenty-five years helping communities connect with and protect the water that flows around our shores. That work took me across Canada and beyond. Today, I hope to dedicate more of my time to serving the community that taught me why that work matters.
Three priorities keep coming up as I talk to Islanders:
Living on the Island requires collaboration. It takes practical problem solving and a willingness to work with residents, neighbouring municipalities, the province and the federal government. That's the attitude and experience I will bring to Council if elected.
A councillor needs to listen, share what they are hearing, respect the office of the Mayor and fellow councillors and support our public servants. The issues are real, and the solutions are only possible if we work together.
Municipal government doesn't usually make headlines, but it's where decisions that shape daily life get made: roads, ferries, recreation centres, schools, libraries, emergency services and planning. It matters because of the critical impact on people's lives.
This fall, Wolfe Island will help chart its own course for the next four years. I've spent much of my life helping others navigate the legal and policy corridors of government. It would be my privilege now to do that for the Island and its people, who inspired my love for water and gave me my passion for public service.
