Council Candidate Marc Reid Talks Chatham-Kent Sports

CKSN asked all candidates running for Chatham-Kent council and mayor, to give us their backgrounds in sports and recreation, and describe their goals and views for not only sports and recreation in Chatham-Kent, but making Chatham-Kent a healthier, and more active place to live.

The Chatham-Kent Municipal election day is October 27, 2014.

Here are council candidate Marc R.E. Reid’s responses. Reid is running for council in Ward 4 – North Kent.

1. Background in sports and recreation:

I have been an avid sailor all of my life. Growing up on a farm near Dresden, I spent my much of summers sailing on Rondeau Bay in a fourteen-foot Sunfish which I bought in Chatham in 1973 and still sail today. Currently my family and I have a vintage c1970 18-foot sloop which we sail from Erieau. My son has participated in the swim and sail camps at the Erieau Yacht Club ever since we moved back to Chatham Kent in 2012. Our children all participated in community soccer programs and other school athletics, which has given me a fresh appreciation for the value of community sport.

More broadly, my family and I are involved in recreation music and movement programs for children and seniors in Chatham-Kent, through our Music on the Move classes which we have taken to schools, community groups and seniors homes across the municipality.

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?

I believe that the most important priority is access. For example, in our classes we work with A.L.L. for Kids, to make recreational programming available regardless of economic background. Sports, music and the arts are fun but they are also an investment in the future, and my goal is to expand the opportunities for partnerships among community organisations, businesses, and the municipality.

3. How will you work to make Chatham-Kent a healthier, more active place to live?

I would be interested in serving on the Seniors Advisory Committee, and would like to know if a committee of council should be formed to address health and active living across the population of CK. Recently, the municipality held a Community Development Forum that brought together ideas about active living, transportation, food programs, and children’s programming—I would like to ensure that this cluster of issues be explored in a more permanent forum at council.

4. Anything else you’d like to add?

I would like to see a balance in the kinds of opportunities for participation in sports and recreation in Chatham Kent. For example, while we should encourage competitive sport and recreation opportunities there should be equal opportunities for non-competitive and non-performance based recreation and sport. This is the guiding principle of our music and movement programs, which emphasize the holistic benefits of music and physical activity (drum circles, music and movement for infants, and accessible instruments such as ukulele, recorder, Native American flute and percussion instruments) for everyone. There is a cross-cultural benefit to this approach to sport and recreation, and a benefit in encouraging participation in smaller communities across the municipality.

What did you think of Council Candidate Marc R.E. Reid’s responses? Let us know in the comments below!