Cole is the Man

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 fourteen years ago. I keep bugging the NCC asking them why they are four 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?

Four 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.

A year and a half ago 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 last 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 the municipal by-election in Osgoode. So here we are.

I did end up registering this year to run against Sean Devine in Ward 9 Knoxdale/Merivale. But soon after I saw that three other people signed up to run in this ward as well. I then realized I have no chance of winning and met one of the other new candidates and decided to endorse him in the Ward 9 race and slide over to run for Mayor instead. Cole Fraser Jones would be an amazing councillor and I am helping him defeat Devine. But I realize the incumbent has all the advantage and it is doubtful that Sean will be defeated. But we can't give in, we can't give up.
Vote for Cole this October!