Helen Shwery hopes the door knocking she did during last year's campaign pays off in her second run for the Ward 1 council seat.
The self described “mother, grandmother, business owner, audit and fraud specialist, and fed up taxpayer” is ready to hit the ground running for this campaign.
Shwery only lost last year’s election to Donna Reid by 46 votes, a number that appears to demonstrate voters weren’t happy with some of the decisions being made by the long-time councillor.
“I didn’t particularly know her, but she was very vocal, she had a great following and a lot of people liked her,” Shwery says of Reid who she met briefly while campaigning against her last year.
“We knocked on probably 99 per cent of doors in Ward 1 and I’m still running on similar topics because it’s still relevant,” she says when asked if anything has changed.
“Community consultation was huge," she says. "They just want to be informed and they want to support it. They want to know what it’s going to cost me, what it’s going to mean to me.”
Public safety was also a huge concern for the majority of constituents, Shwery says.
“Even in Ward 1, although I really haven’t seen a lot of tents or anything like that, they’re still concerned because there’s a lot of break-ins,” she says.
Finding solutions for the housing crisis was also top of mind.
“How can we build more homes by reducing the red tape? And I heard this from both builders and residents themselves.”
Affordability was another common concern. Some were having trouble paying their rent or making mortgage payments and wondered what the city could do to help.
Shwery, who has been vocal about her desire to hold the line on tax increases, understands that a number of recent decisions around the council horseshoe will make that impossible, the main one being the $108 million sports complex expected to break ground next year.
“I think budgets are important to stick to. You spend what you can afford. But there are need-to-haves and want-to-haves, but in regard to the sports complex, what is that going to mean to the taxpayer? What happens if it goes over budget? Who is responsible? Is that in the contract?” Those questions need to be asked, she says.
Some of those questions have already been answered.
To pay for the sports complex, taxpayers will be hit with an initial tax hike of 4.89 per cent, translating to an estimated $73 per year increase for the average household. Taxpayers across the city will pay that each year for the duration of the 20 year debt repayment plan.
About $33 million of the cost will be funded through the city's reserve funds and $46.6 million of the project total will be funded from future development charges.
Paying off the remaining debt will bring the city's debt limit to 13.1 per cent, making it the highest debt limit among comparator Ontario cities with populations greater than 100,000.
“If people say bring it on, then bring it on. But I will fight for whatever Ward 1 wants,” she says.
“My concern is if something goes over budget, who is responsible for that?”
Shwery says when she knocks on doors, it’s the type of question she’ll ask constituents.
“For large projects, for a large amount of money. We should make time to ask the people. It’s not a decision I would ever make without consulting.”
“I love Cambridge and I think more and more people are discovering it and wanting to move here,” she says.
Many of those new residents will have young families who will need a place to take their children for recreation, she says, agreeing the recreation complex is more of a need.
The Riverside Dam project, on the other hand, with a $19 million price tag, is concerning for Shwery given what she believes should be a higher priority.
“I think our sewer system needs to be fixed,” she says, offering one example of the types of infrastructure maintenance and repair issues that should take precedence.
Shwery says she has a “very soft heart” for the marginalized and vulnerable residents of Cambridge, understanding that many are in those situations due to circumstances that can be beyond their control.
“You can’t leave them on the street,” she says, adding more shelters are critical to solving the crisis.
“People that are addicted; get them into rehab. I’ve been a huge supporter for almost two decades of Teen Challenge,” she says.
The non-profit, interdenominational, faith-based program, helps youth who are struggling with addiction.
“They help with your addiction and they also train you for work…and then they help you get clean and you back to your home,” she says.
Last year Shwery heard from people who don’t think consumption treatment services site is the answer for Cambridge.
The CTS is designed to provide a safe environment for people to use drugs while offering wrap around support and counselling to help them find a better path.
“This kind of stuff does not help their kids. They need their kids in a place where they’re actually gonna get help. That’s the feedback I got.”
“I want to listen to the residents. I want to know what’s changed. I hear a lot of people are happy that the encampment has been moved. They feel safer, but I’d like to actually hear that from people,” she says, eager to hit the pavement to meet more constituents. “The most important thing is talking one on one.”
For more information on Shwery, visit her website.
The City of Cambridge Ward 1 byelection will be available to eligible voters through internet voting beginning Oct. 30, until Nov. 13, and at two advance polls on Nov. 1, and Nov. 4, and four locations on election day, Nov. 13.
The city says Ward 1 residents should expect to receive their Voter Notification Letter in mid-to-late October.
The four candidates running for the office of Councillor in Ward 1 include Karl Kiefer, Helen Shwery, Michelle Goodridge and Richard Kaufman.
For a full listing of advance in-person voting dates and locations, visit the 2023 byelection web page.
