Ward 5 candidate promises better communication and safer streets if elected

Joseph Abbott began hearing from residents in his neighbourhood about their struggles to get phone calls returned from the city. It seemed like they were being treated as an annoyance, he said, and at that point he decided to throw his name into the Ward 5 councillor race. 

His biggest concern for the ward is traffic. “There’s too much (traffic) on the roads. We don’t have the infrastructure for the vehicles that we have. With all these new houses coming in, I’d like to know how all these cars are going to be getting around.” 

Abbott said in Ward 5 there are some stretches of roads where there’s no stop signs or crosswalks. He said this is a worry with an area that has a lot of families and seniors. “How do we get our families across the street safely?” 

If elected, Abbott would work on obtaining more four-way stops, speed bumps, and other traffic calming measures. 

Abbott also wants to get more police downtown. “I’m hearing a lot of people don’t feel safe downtown anymore.” He would work closely with Kawartha Lakes Police Service to come up with a plan to help residents feel safe. 

Abbott would also want to put a focus on the mental health of first responders. He said that first responders need to be taken care of with all the things they witness, including car accidents. “If they go on sick leave for a year, that’s still costing us money,” Abbott said. 

Abbott worked in the funeral home industry for 30 years and said the skills he developed there would be valuable at the council table. “I’ve learned to listen to people and understand what they need.” 

He said his experience helping family members navigate disagreements over arrangements would help him work through differences with fellow councillors. 

As for Ward 5 residents, Abbott said he would respond to every message he received. “My policy would be, you would hear back from me first, not a computer or anybody else. (Responses) would be anywhere between 24-48 hours.” 

The job of a councillor is to listen to their constituents, he said, and it’s something he promises to do. “It’s about communication, listening and then making it happen.”

Kawartha Lakes Weekly is reaching out to all candidates running in the October 26 municipal election to give readers a broader view of the people seeking a seat on council. Additional candidate profiles will be published as interviews are completed.