I had no intention of ever being a politician. When young I aspired to be a big businessman someday. Then I realized that I don't care if I actually own anything and was more interested in becoming a powerful activist to help change the world into a better place. I tend to procrastinate and kept dreaming instead of doing the hard work to achieve that distant goal, thinking I will get to it in good time.

Now that I am into my sixties I think I should get to it since I am not yet immortal. Luckily I am in perfect health still and those big dreams are burning brighter than ever. And the world is even more in peril than it ever was. I still have some good productive years ahead of me. So here I am.

My intention was, and is, to first change my beautiful hometown of Ottawa and gain some notoriety to then help propel me to go on to change the world. I have been having a heck of a time for the past fifteen years being heard about my disgust of, and plans for, our dumb tiny greenbelt. I participated more than any member of the Canadian public trying to be heard at the last Master Plan Review of the Ottawa Greenbelt thirteen years ago. I have been bugging the NCC recently asking them why they are three years behind schedule to start their next review since they are mandated to conduct one every ten years. They reluctantly told me that they are still aquiring data, and then they removed me from their email list, for the third time. Why do incompetent idiots have so much power over us?

Three years ago I realized that entering the race to become Ottawa City Councillor for my Knoxdale/Merivale ward would be a good way to spread my greenbelt message. My urban Ward 9 contains the biggest farms that are at the heart of my obsession about why our greenbelt is so terrible. It was a learning experience and I got a bit of attention for my cause, but not much. But it gave me incentive to build on that and keep trying.

This past winter I got my new World's Dumbest Farms signs printed in preparation for the federal and provincial election. I was hoping the federal one would be held this coming fall as scheduled so I could conduct my campaign after my busy spring bike repair season. But we knew it was going to happen earlier, and I also knew that Doug Ford was probably going to call the Ontario one early as well.

So I did force myself to go in that winter provincial election and put some of my signs up in the snow. Then after I got a bit of attention in that election, I struggled to get my 100 signatures needed to enter the federal election and then got sick for the first time in a few years, so bailed on entering the federal one. Since I knew that I had a great back-up plan. To enter this municipal by-election. So here we are.

I know I can't win this Osgoode election since I don't even live there. But now I have decided that I do plan to win next year's election to become City Councillor for Ward 9 Knoxdale/Merivale. They can't pull that snap election nonsense and therefore I can start next summer banging on the fifteen thousand doors neccessary to become councillor.

I obviously realize I can't be campaigning solely on my greenbelt obsession so that will be my side hustle as I pursue this new goal. If Kieth Egli was still the incumbent for the ward I know I wouldn't have a chance in defeating him. But their current councillor, Sean Devine, I just know I can defeat. But all of that can wait until next year. Stay tuned.