Before the Ballot- Questions for Hamilton's Next Mayor- with Mayoral Candidate Sasha Austin

Welcome to this instalment of Before the Ballot- Questions for Hamilton's Next Mayor- with Mayoral Candidate Sasha Austin.  The Hamiltonian has asked the following questions to each Mayoral Candidate and will publish their responses upon receipt. Enjoy our discussion with Ms. Austin:

Hamilton taxpayers have seen taxes rise significantly while many residents field services and quality of life have declined what specific metrics would you use to measure your success as mayor and what results should residents expect to see within your first two years?

Aas mayor I will match taxes to quality of life ensuring every tax dollar is strictly tied to a measurable community benefit like clean, safe parks, modernized, accessible transit, bus shelters and stations and faster emergency response. Balance out food affordability, increase low cost senior citizen services, subsidized childcare for working families, minimal cost animal care for emergencies, and equal amount housing units for every individual in our City. I will breakdown the budget, so residents see exactly where the money goes.

As Mayor I will track outcomes like how many potholes were filled, the reduction in crime rates and improvements to our City streets.

Wasteful spending will be eliminated, no more lost tax revenue, dedicated, strict processes will be implemented to deliver consistent transparency to our constituents. When taxpayers ask where their money is going, clear answers will be mandatory and readily available. I will also match taxes to services by fighting for social and economic prosperity review commitments from upper levels of governments. I will argue that local property taxes were originally designed to fund roads, not extensive social programs, healthcare or housing. By successfully lobbying the federal and provincial governments, municipal tax dollars will be stretched at length and at every angle.

What is one issue facing Hamilton where you believe the majority of residents may disagree with you and why are you willing to take that position anyway?

As mayor I would work with independent appointed boards and council to pass policies based on civic safety and use specific tools to enforce them. The enforcement process relies on several steps including board governance and bylaws. My position would be to implement permanent entry changes requiring members to check in at our Public libraries and Recreation Centres.

Physical entry systems will be modified to restrict Open Access, membership or library cards will be required at the turnstiles or front desk to unlock doors. Additional library and recreation staff will be hired for these positions; this will not be extra duties for the standing staff. Accountability membership requirements ensure everyone is identifiable, participants who violate facility rules can have their membership suspended and database checks will be automatic. There will be low barrier access to keep our spaces accessible for residents experiencing hardship or those without a permanent address. Alternative credentials would include cards issued such as a Hamilton public libraries inspire card which uses alternative verifications, which can include a letter from a shelter or a student card.

If elected mayor what is the first change you would make to how City Hall operates internally and why do you believe that the change is necessary?

The first change as mayor I would make is ordering an independent operational audit of the cities staffing and organizational structure. This will provide hard unarguable data to identify exactly which management layers are redundant, where public funds are wasted and how all decision making can be open to the public. I will have a clear map of City Hall structure so that targeted legal changes can be made to match actual workflow needs making it safe to cut overlapping or useless rules without breaking labour laws. Building public trust by having an outside expert do the review proves the mayor is not just making political choices but relying on facts. Next steps will be to combine jobs and merge department's that do similar things to save money and speed up city services. Then to hire an integrity commissioner to enforce strict rules of conduct and investigate public complaints. As well as create a public list that tracks exactly who meets with the city officials to influence policies.

Many residents feel Hamilton has tremendous potential but is not living up to it in your view what is holding Hamilton back and what would you do about it?

The open drug use, toxic waste, feces and disruptive behaviors on our public streets, parks, and shopping areas are holding back Hamiltons progression. Poverty stricken families, individuals, senior citizens and communities also are a direct result of our unhoused population. The affordability crisis forces people into desperation which results in property crime, theft, drug use and this cycle repeating itself. Vacant, boarded up stores, buildings, shopping and schools are a deterrent for external investors to be motivated to partner with the City of Hamilton. As the state of our city demonstrates our leadership are unable to run our region. We should never have reached the point where we are now having to reach full potential. In the 1980s and 90s, Hamilton was at its full potential and deteriorated. With a strong, focused, dedicated, passionate, loyal, fearless Mayor such as me, we will reach beyond our full potential. Our streets must be cleaned up first and foremost for our city to begin to recover and revitalize. 

Gaining trust with the public and proving to external potential investors that we can manage our own city will ultimately restart our revenue and growth. As mayor I'll be working with nonprofit organizations, public health, provincial and federal governments to implement my plan to revert shelters and repurpose abandoned buildings into health care facilities with wrap around supports. These services will include physicians, nurses, psychiatrist, social workers, mental health workers, outreach workers, personal support workers and law enforcement officers. Our facilities will provide all healthcare on site in one building. Patients will be admitted who are already registered into shelters or referrals will come from emergency room visits, police intervention, ambulance call referrals or neighbouring organizations. 

The Hamilton Core facilities may be looked at as a satellite extension of the hospitals or walks in centres providing on site diagnosis, treatment, stabilization and once deemed able participants will be transitioned into suitable permanent housing or relocated to a destination of their choice. Our city streets will ultimately be cleaned up completely leaving no unhoused individuals, elimination of open drug use and no further contamination from paraphernalia etc., This will save our hard-working taxpayers millions of dollars and reduce the strain on our resources. My plan will also remove the need for harm reduction.

How can our readers best reach you and or learn more about you?

My website has now been launched at: sashaaustin4hamiltonmayor.com
*Please note, I am still in the process of inputting my full platform details on my website. There will always be updated public information to view!
My email is: civicengagementhamillton@gmail.com
Please feel free to visit my public Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sasha.austin.79
and https://www.facebook.com/saviourfirstaid/
As well as my Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/saviourfirstaid/
And my LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-austin-826b7a205?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android  

 

Thank-you Sasha for engaging with Hamiltonians on The Hamiltonian!