Mike Bloxam declares candidacy for Ward 6 council seat

Yesterday afternoon, I registered myself as a candidate for London City Council in Ward 6. Press release below!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Mike Bloxam declares candidacy for Ward 6 council seat

Heritage advocate and environmentalist Mike Bloxam has declared his candidacy for London’s Ward 6 council seat.

“I am a champion for sustainability, including financial sustainability in the budgeting process, environmental sustainability, and sustainability in terms of community planning 

and maintaining London’s character,” said Bloxam of his focus if elected.

For Bloxam, seeking local office is a natural extension of his life-long commitment to community involvement. Londoners may know his name as a recent president of the local branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), where he has advocated for sustainable development and preservation of London’s heritage buildings. Then again, that may not be the only reason it rings a bell.

Bloxam is nearly ubiquitous: he has argued for decommissioning the Springbank Dam, as a past chair and current member of City Hall’s Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE); and worked to make sure the Forest City lives up to its name as a board member and Trees Committee chair for ReForest London.

“Mike is committed to his family and his community, working towards making London a healthier and more vibrant community for citizens today and generations who will follow,” said Linda Lustins, Chair of the Board for ReForest London, where Bloxam has served as a director since 2015.

Beyond his community efforts, Bloxam has the varied experience and perspectives of a business owner and non-profit worker. He launched SunTap Technologies in 2009 to install solar energy systems on homes and businesses across Southwestern Ontario, and continues to offer that service.

These days though, most of the hours he puts in are at the London Food Bank, where he joined the staff full time in 2016 after more than 16 years as a volunteer. It’s that time, spent face-to-face with people experiencing poverty in London, where Bloxam finds much of the inspiration for his campaign.

“I want to see the next Council take poverty and homelessness in our city seriously,” Bloxam says. If elected, he would push to expand London’s Housing First strategy, which has already started to make a difference, as well as advocating for changes to benefits at the provincial level.

Bloxam will kick off his campaign with a launch party in June, to be announced at bloxam.ca.

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Mike Bloxam is running to be your next councillor for Ward 6 in London, Ontario. He aspires for a better London that is an ideal place to live, work, play, and stay.

Campaign hotline: 519-518-2273 | E-mail: mike@bloxam.ca | Web site: www.bloxam.ca | Twitter: @Mike_Bloxam

How taxes work for you

Taxes are nobody’s favourite. Most people don’t enjoy paying them and don’t enjoy talking about them either. Doing both is important, though. Since property taxes provide the annual budget for crucial city services, Londoners need to understand how they work and so we can discuss how to make them work better.

There’s a brief video by the City of London that explains how property taxes are calculated – using the cost to provide services and the value of properties. It’s even more important to understand where this money goes. Even if you’re not a homeowner, you pay property taxes indirectly through your rent.

About 15% of your property tax bill is a provincial tax to fund education. The rest goes into the annual budget for city services. That includes everything the city provides – police, fire, and ambulance services, roads, sidewalks, transit, parks, trails, museums, recreation centres, and libraries. A breakdown of how much goes to each of those services is available on the city Web site.  Keep in mind that Ontario municipalities receive only 9% of total tax revenues, yet are responsible for over 50% of the infrastructure.

These are things we need as a city, so obviously I can’t promise to make your taxes go away if I’m elected. What I can promise is that I will consider with every decision and vote, whether the proposal at hand provides good value for taxes that Londoners pay. I also will strive to provide you with clear information on how well the city is delivering its services. The city has a responsibility to provide the services that Londoners rely on. It also has a responsibility to collect only as much in tax as it needs to deliver those services, and to do so in a fair and transparent way.

That doesn’t mean we can get rid of everything that isn’t police, garbage collection, or transit. The other parts of the city budget – things like culture and recreational facilities – are also crucial to making London a good place to live, but they need to make sense.

Part of being respectful of the taxes that Londoners pay is making sure that the city grows in a responsible and sustainable fashion. As noted in The London Plan, all growth patterns are not created equal. The more spread out the city becomes as it grows, the less efficient and the more expensive it will be to provide adequate transit, waste removal, and utility services. That means the city would need a higher tax rate to provide these required services.

On the other hand, if London grows in a more compact way – growing up rather than out in areas that can handle it, and finding infill projects that are a good match for the existing community – it will be much easier and less expensive to maintain and improve city services.

On council, I will support budgeting and planning decisions that provide Londoners with good value for the public dollar. I will work to ensure that your taxes are spent in meaningful ways that improve the city, that we take into account how we are going to provide services over the long term, and that you have access to information about how well the city is doing on both of those things.

Taxes still may not be your favourite thing, but you can have more confidence in how they are being used to build and maintain our city.

Common courtesy for your neighbours

I have heard many ideas and concerns from Ward 6 residents over the last eight months of my campaign. There’s one issue though that has come up at every single debate, and more frequently than others at the door. That issue is student housing.

Londoners are proud of our college and our university. We know how many people they teach and employ; however, they can sometimes be a source of neighbourhood conflict for those living nearby. Ward 6 residents have reported untidy lots, buildings with heritage value left in disrepair, and safety concerns with large numbers of people sharing a single-family home.

How do we find a balance between making sure there is affordable housing for students and young people, while maintaining the character of our neighbourhoods? There are a number of things to consider.

First, there is legal precedent that more than three unrelated people sharing single home makes it a lodging house. Lodging houses are not allowed in R1 residential zones, where only single detached homes are allowed. Some neighbourhood groups would like to see this implemented in London, and in general, I support the idea. Not everywhere is an R1 zone, so lodging houses would still be allowed in higher density residential areas – places that are more likely to have the services, like transit, to support the extra people.

Fixing transit in London will also help our neighbourhoods over time. If students can get quickly and efficiently across town by bus or bike, more will be willing to live farther away from campus. That means they will get to know the city beyond the campus bubble better, and hopefully start to think of London as home. It also means that housing all of the city’s students won’t fall to just a few neighbourhoods in the same way it does now.

In many cases though, students or tenants aren’t the problem at all. Some landlords neglect their properties, putting in the minimum amount of time and money it takes to find renters. This is where we see uncut lawns, buildings in disrepair, and where we start to worry about the safety of some of our student neighbours.

I hope there aren't any properties as bad as this in your neighbourhood!

Some of these landlords aren’t concerned at all about how their properties are reflecting on the community because it isn’t their community. Many live in Toronto or even further away, and own property in London either because their children were once students here, or merely see it as a good investment. We need to make sure these property owners do their part, even if they aren’t around to live with the results.

Most of the things neighbours complain about are covered under existing by-laws, whether it’s maintaining the yard, disposing of waste, or making sure that fire safety regulations are observed. The trouble is that most of these by-laws are only enforced when a complaint gets filed.  

London can do better at holding absentee landlords accountable, for the sake of both long-term residents and renters. We can increase inspections under the Residential Rental Licensing program, and also step up by-law enforcement in targeted areas near campus.

All of these measures will help maintain the character of our neighbourhoods, while keeping all residents safe and allowing them to enjoy their community.

Ward 6 candidate Mike Bloxam proposes changes to overnight parking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Ward 6 candidate Mike Bloxam proposes changes to overnight parking

When August ended, so did your right to park overnight on city streets for another year. That’s a pain, especially for those who hosted overnight guests during Thanksgiving weekend.

It doesn’t have to be that way, says one candidate for city council in Ward 6. Ending the parking ban that runs from 3 AM until 5 AM for most of the year could actually increase road safety according to Mike Bloxam.

“We spend a lot of effort educating people not to drive when you’ve been drinking, not to drive when you’re exhausted. One of the things we can do to discourage people from getting behind the wheel is to remove that fear of a parking ticket,” Bloxam said. “It also means people will have one less thing to worry about when friends and relatives visit.”

That doesn’t mean it’s a parking free-for-all, Bloxam explained.

“Of course we need the streets clear when snow plows are coming through. We also don’t want to see people owning more vehicles than their home can support with parking spaces; however, some other jurisdictions have creative solutions for overnight parking that I’d like to see London consider.”

For example, overnight parking on the street could be allowed except when the forecast says a significant snow event is on the way. Then, all cars would have to be off the street for 24 hours. The City of Kitchener uses this approach. While overnight parking is more relaxed, any vehicle impeding a snow plow can be towed.

Another approach is to keep the ban on overnight parking, but give residents a batch of exemptions (the City of Waterloo allows 15) they can use at any time throughout the year. Vehicle owners would register the licence plate online, via a smart phone app, or by phone the night they plan to park to receive an exemption. This approach allows overnight visitors without much hassle.  The City of London is currently considering this, but it will be up to the next council to enact such an initiative.

“If elected, I’d ask city staff to take a good hard look at these programs and how they could be implemented in London,” Bloxam said. “If we’re asking people to accept something that’s inconvenient, it should be for a good reason. In this case, I think there are better alternatives.”

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Mike Bloxam is running to be your next councillor for Ward 6 in London, Ontario. He aspires for a better London that is an ideal place to live, work, play, and stay.

Campaign hotline: 519-518-2273 | E-mail: mike@bloxam.ca | Web site: www.bloxam.ca | Twitter: @Mike_Bloxam

About Mike Bloxam:

Ø       Mike Bloxam is a born-and-raised Londoner running to be the next councillor for Ward 6.

Ø       He is the owner of a small business – Sun Tap Technologies – and serves on City Hall’s Advisory Committee on the Environment.

Ø       Bloxam has proposed several other ideas that are resonating with Londoners:

Ø       A web-based citizen dashboard to make city data more accessible to the public

Ø       Improved collaboration with Western University and Fanshawe College

Ø       Supporting small business with resources and start-up grants

Ø       Making childcare more accessible for parents

Ø       Improved waste diversion, including serious consideration for an organics program

Ø       Bloxam’s platform includes further proposals to increase integrity, prosperity, and sustainability in London The full platform can be found at www.bloxam.ca/platform

Open. Accountable. Accessible.

I have been working hard during the election period to tell you what I stand for. My platform has been on the Web site since August and expanded on the planks in this blog. I've included it in brochures, spoken about it at all-candidates meetings, and spoken with you about it at your doors.

What happens a year or two into the council term when there are issues we haven't anticipated? How can you know now how I will deal with the questions of the future?

Here’s the answer: I will talk with you about them.

I have spoken with you about your priorities and concerns for London at your doors for over six months now. While I won't be at the doorstep as frequently after October 27, I will continue to engage with Ward 6 residents and with all Londoners in a number of ways.

First, I will hold regular office hours and return your calls and emails in a timely fashion. That’s easy to promise, and you can be reasonably assured I will do so, because I’m doing it already. A wide selection of London organizations send surveys to council candidates to make sure voters know their positions on key issues like poverty or the arts. Here’s a selection of just a few: from a student engagement effort to a local magazine, from the London Arts Council and the Middlesex-London Health Unit, to a local blogger. I've responded to each and every survey thoughtfully. I believe I’m the only Ward 6 candidate who has responded to every survey sent out.

Secondly, I will continue to meet regularly with constituents. I support the idea also raised by several candidates in other wards of establishing wards councils. A diverse group of Ward 6 residents representing arts, business, faith, and community groups would meet regularly with me as councillor to advise on issues facing our ward and our city. Regular townhall meetings where anyone can participate and share their thoughts will also be a great way to listen to residents.

Finally, I will listen to the experts. Throughout this campaign, I have been meeting with people who have real experience providing services to Londoners, services like policing, fighting fires, providing childcare, and working with homeless people. By listening to people with firsthand knowledge, I gain a perspective you can't get only from reading reports and policy papers. I will continue to seek out this kind of advice one elected.

I want to thank everyone who has shared their own concerns and priorities with me already, whether at the door, on the phone, or at community events. I encourage you to get in touch with any questions and comments, good or bad, both before the election and after. I've talked a lot in my platform about integrity. One of the things integrity means is that I will keep listening, even if I think I have the answer.

A partnership opportunity that can't be missed

Post-secondary education is one of London’s greatest strengths. Western University and Fanshawe College are major employers in our city and students contribute millions more to the local economy through spending on rent, food, entertainment, and all the other necessities of life. In many ways, we tend to undervalue the part they play now and could play in the future. I believe there are three ways we can strengthen the partnership with Western and Fanshawe to make London better for everyone.

First, I have already discussed in Metro News London how the city could be looking to local experts at our post-secondary schools to carry out research and find innovative solutions to city issues. Occasionally when the city needs to test the feasibility of an idea, or wants to know what other cities are doing on the same issue, it relies on expensive outside consultants to produce a report. One example is the London’s Transportation Master Plan, produced by a Toronto consultant group.

Sometimes we do need expertise beyond what’s available on city staff. Why not partner with our world-class university and college to do this kind of work where possible? We can invite students and researchers to focus on practical ideas and solutions for our city. Imagine the top minds living in our city investigating how we can improve industry, environment, and citizen engagement in London, and how city government can make a difference in those areas.

Secondly, I recently blogged about the need to foster entrepreneurship in our city as a way to boost economic growth. I mentioned the roles the that local agencies have to play in this area, and Western and Fanshawe are key pieces of the puzzle. We can look at the kind of talent our schools are producing and gear short-term subsidies to start-up businesses in those fields.

We need to make it easier to start and maintain a small business in London for everybody, not just grads; however, this is one way to keep some of our top talent at home. I've seen this kind of approach do great things in Waterloo Region, where I lived as a student at the University of Waterloo. The area has a thriving tech sector because of talent produced at its universities.

Recently, the province announced funding for Campus-Linked Accelerators, to build on innovation and entrepreneurial programs at Southwestern Ontario's colleges and universities. This includes Western's Entrepreneurship, Engagement, Economic Development (E3), which will act as “a hub for educational, community, and private-sector partners and the foundation for nurturing a vibrant on-campus ecosystem of entrepreneurship”. It’s great news, so we must ensure that the city is at the table to build strong links between Western innovation and entrepreneurship and the rest of our city.

The third way London can do a better job of collaborating with our schools has to do with integrating them into city life. We need to treat students as fellow Londoners and help them to see themselves that way.

Recently, two of my opponents called for Western’s Homecoming celebrations to be cancelled. While I absolutely sympathize with the frustrations of Broughdale residents, this is the wrong approach. Rather than shutting down the celebration, I’d like to see the city get involved in planning it, and not just in terms of law enforcement. 

What if Homecoming took over Victoria Park for the weekend, or a few blocks of commercial area were closed to traffic for the celebration? Alcohol consumption could be contained and monitored. It would also encourage more long-term Londoners to come out and join the celebration, and bring their positive influence. It would mean be a boost for nearby businesses too. If we look at Homecoming like another city festival, we can plan the kind of celebration everyone will be proud of.

Helping Fanshawe bring more students downtown, to study in the Kingsmill’s building, is also a step in the right direction when it comes to integrating them into city life. These students will be working and learning where so many other Londoners also work. More interaction will lead to better relationships.

Western and Fanshawe are huge advantages to have in London. Let's start treating students like fellow citizens with something to contribute rather than just a problem to be managed.

Strengthening our economic backbone

As I have met Ward 6 residents at their doors over the past many months, one of the most frequent concerns I have heard is about the job situation in London. 

People are concern on their own behalf, on their children’s behalf, or just on their city’s behalf.  We have seen large employers like Kellogg’s and Electro-Motive shut down with nothing replacing these good-paying careers.

It becomes easy to feel disheartened; however, tremendous opportunity also exists. Small business drives economic growth and is the backbone of the economy nationwide, making up 98% of all businesses in Canada. By supporting existing small businesses and guiding start-ups toward success, we can help people find satisfying employment doing what they love.

I’d like to tell you my own story.

After working for a manufacturer of solar energy equipment for three years, I was laid off in a round of downsizing in 2009. Like so many other Londoners, I wasn't sure where to begin. The news was full of bleak economic stories about how jobs were hard to come by. There was very little work to be found in our Forest City at the time, and I had to apply for employment insurance.

At the same time, I didn't want to let the knowledge I had gained about solar energy go to waste. After a couple months of soul-searching, and with support from London’s Small Business Centre, I started my business. SunTap Technologies installs solar energy systems, like the ones my former employer manufactured. In the five years since I started the company, I've had the opportunity to employ several local people, mentor five co-op students, and purchase goods and services from other local businesses.

I was able to make a fulfilling career for myself, but I couldn't have done it without help. The Small Business Centre program was a great start, but we need to do more to foster entrepreneurship in London.

I’d like to see the London Economic Development Corporation focus more on business start-ups to create local ventures that employ local people. We also need organizations like the LEDC and the Small Business Centre to work more closely together to encourage entrepreneurship and see start-ups become fulfilling job-creating operations.

I’d also like to see the city offer entrepreneurs short-term subsidies to help new local businesses, such as offering low-rent office or retail space to soften the impact on start-up costs. The business would agree to pay full rent after a certain period of time or when they reach a certain level of income.

We also need to ensure an adequate number of affordable daycare spaces are available so that parents can properly manage their work life, whether that’s starting a business or looking for employment.

Much of the money a small business earns is spent locally. That means that when we support an existing or start-up local business, the benefits don't stop there:  local ventures spend money at other local ventures. People with jobs spend money in the local economy. All this helps make our city more prosperous and a desirable place to live, work, play, and stay.

Of course, there is a plethora of initiatives London can implement to support jobs and economic growth – I’ve proposed a few of them in my platform – but supporting entrepreneurship is an important first step. Let’s help people build fulfilling careers for themselves, and support our city at the same time.

Making city data more accessible to the public

In Metro News on Friday, there was a story about open data at London City Hall, and how much access residents have to information about city services and initiatives. 

Ward 7 council candidate Josh Morgan and I are proposing a way to make that data more available to you. It’s a Web site called a "citizen dashboard", and it is already being used successfully in Edmonton. 

Here’s why I think the citizen dashboard is right for London:  if you want to know how many road construction projects are on schedule, what the snow-plow routes are, or how many people were left behind at bus stops last month, where would you get that information? Right now it’s difficult to find, and is likely not included in the city's collection of open data.

A citizen dashboard would display city data, and metrics are displayed in a way that is attractive and easy to understand. For example, the Edmonton dashboard displays the city’s vehicle collision rate, community centre attendance, and waste-diversion rate, as well as the city’s credit rating and debt. Knowing whether London is on track to meet its goals in these areas will help residents keep their government accountable. 

Most importantly, Londoners get to see how effectively public money is being spent, making sure we get what we pay for. It’s one of the ways I plan to promote integrity and accountability during my time on city council. 

I’d love to know what city data you’d like the dashboard to track. Is it the unemployment rate, the service level in city offices, or maybe the condition of our infrastructure? Comment below or send me an e-mail with your thoughts. Let’s make information about our city more accessible to all of us.

My platform for a better London

The ideas a potential councillor proposes and the values he or she represents will be the most important information for citizens as they cast their ballots this Fall. To make sure my ideas and values are clear, I posted my platform at Bloxam.ca/platform.

Since the Spring, I have been visiting Ward 6 residents at their homes to introduce myself. I've also been listening to them about what is important to them in their neighbourhoods and for the city of London as a whole. I’ve also attended community meetings and events, and met with many of the decision makers in the area. All of this has helped me to refine and focus the priorities I already had when I entered the race to be the next councillor for Ward 6.

I chose to organize my platform based on three key themes that I believe Londoners are looking for from their next council – Integrity, Prosperity, and Sustainability. Of course, there’s a lot more to the platform than just a few key words. I’ll expand on some of the individual ideas here on this blog over the next few weeks. For now, let me tell you a bit about what I mean by each of these words. 

Integrity 

If there's one thing I've heard above all else when speaking with Londoners, it's that the citizens of our city have lost faith in their elected officials.  I promise to be open, accountable, and accessible to my constituents.  I will work with my council colleagues to come to a consensus when making decisions, instead of continuing the "us vs. them" mentality of the past.

Prosperity

Our city has had a tough time during the recent economic downturn.  We need to get more folks into fulfilling careers and encourage business growth in London.  There is no easy answer and there are many pieces to the puzzle, but working together we can achieve our goals to make London a place to live, work, play, and stay.

Sustainability 

Sustainability means ensuring that decisions take into account economy, community, and environment without placing higher priority for one over the others. It also means ensuring that the prosperity we build together lasts over the long term. In my business career and volunteer commitments, I have always striven to make sustainable decisions. This is a practice that I will continue as your councillor.


I hope you’ll take some time to read through the platform on my Web site, and to get in touch with any questions and comments, good or bad. One of the things integrity means is that I keep listening, even if I think I have the answer.

Please also continue to visit the blog as I expand on some of these points and talk about what the next council’s job will be when it comes to making them a reality.

Ward 6 candidate Mike Bloxam exceeds fundraising target

As of today, the first campaign fundraising milestone of $2000 was raised a week before the deadline.  Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Ward 6 candidate Mike Bloxam exceeds fundraising target

London business owner Mike Bloxam, the frontrunner in the race for the Ward 6 council seat, has established his early start by raising more than the campaign’s $2000 fundraising target well ahead of its March 31 deadline. 

Bloxam thanked supporters on Tuesday for helping him surpass the goal before his campaign officially kicks off with a launch party this weekend.

“I want to express sincere thanks to all those who have supported me so far. I greatly appreciate the encouragement and advice I've received already, and look forward to the campaign ahead.”

In addition, he will gather with supporters at 2:00 this Sunday, March 30 at the Alibi Roadhouse to officially start the campaign. More than 50 people are registered to attend, and the event is open with   registration required via the campaign Web site at www.bloxam.ca. Bloxam plans to step up canvassing efforts following Sunday’s event to listen to more of Ward 6 residents’ vision for our city.

“I'm running because I believe strongly that living in a community means giving back: it is a belief and practice that I will continue through civic duty. I plan to share that belief with Ward 6 residents, and to speak with them about the things they value in our shared community.”

In the meantime, he has set a new campaign fundraising target of $5000 by May 31.

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Mike Bloxam is running to be your next councillor for Ward 6 in London, Ontario. He aspires for a better London that is an ideal place to live, work, play, and stay.

Campaign hotline: 519-518-2273 | E-mail: mike@bloxam.ca | Web site: www.bloxam.ca | Twitter: @Mike_Bloxam