Council Candidate Art Stirling Talks Chatham-Kent Sports
Chatham-Kent Civic Centre
The Chatham-Kent Municipal election day is October 27, 2014.
Here are council candidate Art Stirling’s responses. Stirling is running for council in Ward 2 – South Kent.
1. Background in sports and recreation:
As a parent of five children, the oldest near 30 and the youngest 10, I have been a long-time advocate for and supporter of sports and recreation facilities and programming in my community. At present I have two still active in Blenheim area sports, one in gymnastics, the other in karate.
2. What specific ideas or goals do you have for Chatham-Kent, to improve or maintain recreational programs and facilities, and support our athletes and sports organizations? Or to help build opportunities for future growth in these areas?
With regards to Blenheim and the South Kent community specifically, over my eight years on Council I have advocated strongly for continued investment in maintaining and enhancing sports and recreation facilities and programs such as our pool, arena, baseball diamonds, etc. I believe that, when taken as a portfolio including both publicly and privately run entities, Blenheim has one of the most complete and modern offerings of sports and recreation related amenities available in Chatham-Kent. Whether you have a young active family or you are a time-starved individual in your middle-age working years or you are an active retiree, there are numerous options and opportunities in the South Kent area for you to stay healthy and fit. I have worked to help make that so. I believe that sports and recreation infrastructure is exactly just that — infrastructure — and it needs to be protected and accessible. Programming needs to be of high quality and remain affordable. Some of that can be delivered directly by our Parks and Recreation team, some of that can be developed and supported through community partnerships with others. The South Kent Trails organization, which I have supported, is a great example of the latter. I’ve worked closely with both local business owners and not-for-profit organizations operating in the sports area, supporting their desires and needs for growth and success. And, I have demonstrated a similar care and commitment to communities across Chatham-Kent during my time as councillor.
3. How will you work to make Chatham-Kent a healthier, more active place to live?
During this past term I was a leading advocate on Council for changing the way we fund expansions to our sidewalk infrastructure program so that we could start to fill gaps in our network, especially along busy arterial highways, and help get people walking more. I have supported the addition of bicycle paths where they made sense and would not, in my mind, compromise public safety. I have been a huge supporter of trails for both healthier lifestyles and for tourist attraction. I worked closely with our Public Health and Recreation departments to bring an outdoor fit park to the Blenheim community, seeing this as an opportunity to provide more fitness options locally, and would like to see those facilities expanded to more communities. I believe we have tremendous potential to expand our community gardens program, develop more farm markets, and see more consumption of local fruits and vegetables. I will continue to support the development of campaigns and events that highlight the quality, diversity and availability of locally grown or raised food.
What did you think of Council Candidate Art Stirling’s responses? Let us know in the comments below!