I have lived in Sackville for about 30 years, having moved here to get away from the cramped spaces in Halifax. Sackville is far enough away from Halifax so that it is almost the countryside, but it’s close enough that we can still get to everything easily.
My Family
My kids and me, 2009
My family is the most important thing in my life.
I want to leave our community in a better place than it is today so that our kids and grand-kids can afford to live in it and so that they want to live in it.
I’d like to help bring Nova Scotia back to being a prosperous and self-sufficient province, where our children and grand-children want to grow up. I’d also like to see us have a spirit where we can find work, or where we can start our own companies if we’d like to.
That starts by making our community a more affordable place to live. We need to stop living in a deficit. We need to grow the economy, while preserving the environment. We need to recognize the value of our natural resources and of our international trading partners.
My Community
Sackville Volunteer Of The Year, 2017
I like to think that we live in a fantastic community in the best country in the world.
I also think that it can be better.
I’ve been helping to make our community better for years, as part of the Sackville Community Development Association, working with the Relay For Life, the Sackville Business Association, the Sackville Rivers Association, the Lake District Recreation Association, and on various other boards.
As part of the SCDA, I’ve managed every parade that Sackville has had since 2011. This includes both the Patriot Days parades and the Sackville Snow Days parades. Gosh, these have all been so much fun. You can really tell the community spirit when you see thousands of people sitting along the side of the road, in the pouring rain, while the parade goes by. We all knew that it was going to rain (for Canada Day in 2017); we were all prepared to get soaked; and we all really wanted to be there.
I’ve looked at our community, our province, and our country, and I’ve seen where improvements can be made in all of that. As a result, I’m active in provincial politics. We keep hearing about changes that need to be made to the departments of health, education, transportation, and justice. Those changes will help our society across the province.
I started giving back to the community in a formal manner nearly 25 years ago, when I was an elected member of the Halifax Regional School Board. From 2000 to 2004 I worked hard in this role, representing Middle and Upper Sackville and Beaver Bank. That’s when I first learned about some of the incredible people in this community, and that’s when I first saw some of the huge challenges. I want to help correct some of those challenges, and I want to help make this community an even better place.
My Career
My career, over the last few decades, has been developing computer software.
I have developed the skills to analyze problems from a very broad level and at a very intricate level, often at the same time, and usually under pressure. Over the years I’ve gained a reputation of finding solutions for the most interesting and difficult problems. I’ve also earned the trust of my customers with their sensitive data.
Some of the time I’ve built a number of companies from the ground up, and some of the time I’ve worked as an employee helping other companies grow and prosper.
More recently I’ve been working to build web sites for Fortune 500 companies. These are large and complex projects, with many moving parts, and many people involved in each decision. The work that we do has a direct impact on (literally) millions of people and billions of dollars.
From 2019 through 2024 I was the HRM Councillor for Lower Sackville. In that role I was able to help out many community groups including Fultz House, Sackville Kinsmen and Kinettes, Sackville Lions, Freedom Kitchen, Square Roots, the Cobequid Food Security Network, and many more. I also initiated the investigation of the e.coli issue in First Lake, which resulted in identifying the source of the e.coli, and seeing measurable improvements in 2024. Recreation is important for our community, so I’ve worked with the Sackville Rivers Association, the Friends of First Lake, and the Sackville Lakes Park and Trails Association to improve our trails and the watershed, and I initiated the expansion of the Sackville Sports Stadium. I’ve also worked hard to improve safety for both pedestrians and for traffic. I am proud of my accomplishments, as Councillor, and look forward to other ways to help my community.
I’ve learned the skills that I need to help me work on your behalf.