Sunny Cushnie steps up to the plate for 2010 Election

Feature

To Comment on this article Click Here

Sunny Cushnie

"I know that change for most people is very difficult but I am willing to work hard for those who would elect me and help council with fresh new ideas," says Sunny Cushnie.  "There is no doubt that the existing Council has been faced with a lot of challenges that they may not have been expecting and there may be more down the road that will need a new way of looking at things and I think I can bring that."

Cushnie is a business owner and family man with three children.  He started the innovative and successful Great Lakes Dome Company that builds dome-shaped homes and buildings.

As a small business owner, Cushnie adds that taxes have skyrocketed over the past few years.  "I feel badly for young people who are trying to get started.  As a business person, I think we need to really assess taxes and, perhaps, take a look at helping the mom-and-pop operations who put themselves on the front line to provide us with product.  We need incentives to help small businesses."

Cushnie who lives in Southampton points out that tourism is the key industry second to agriculture.  "We need to capitalize on our tourist attractions.  The Streetscape group has done incredible things with the downtown core of Southampton but we need to really promote High Street, Fairy Lake, the Art Gallery and School and the Museum as one cohesive group and that's something I would really like to work toward."

When it comes to the ward system, Cushnie feels that it is necessary and the best approach within an amalgamated community.  "I know that communities within an amalgamation have friendly rivalry between them but there is no place for rivalry in politics and I think the ward system helps to alleviate any tension that could possibly arise."

When it comes to affordable housing, Cushnie adds that it is not just the upfront affordability, it is the ongoing costs of operating or maintaining a home.  "We need to make sure that homes are affordable over the span of many years."

"I am also a big supporter of public transit," Cushnie stresses.  "We could be a community leader when it comes to public transportation.  There are people here who struggle to get from one community to another.  There are those who don't drive, or can't any longer, and who have to get to places such as grocery stores and town offices and who have no access to transportation.  There are also young people who need to work and have no means of traveling between our three communities.  We need public transit and it is something that I will focus on if elected."

"I got my work ethic from my parents and my grandmother.  My parent encouraged me to be an entrepreneur and my grandmother was a force to be reckoned with.  She managed low-income housing in Hamilton and taught me to be compassionate and have good values."

"I am looking forward to the election and my hope is that voters in 2010 will change their voting habits and take a hard look at what some of the newcomers who are running have to offer." 

^{for world news, books, sports, movies ...}

Saturday, October 02, 2010