Brad Hodge - Council candidate

I was born in Quebec in 1975 and grew up in mainly in tiny Kettleby, Ontario. I have lived in Squamish since 1999 and have run my own IT business full-time since 2002.

Brad HodgeSubmitted photo

I was born in Quebec in 1975 and grew up in mainly in tiny Kettleby, Ontario. I have lived in Squamish since 1999 and have run my own IT business full-time since 2002. I married my wife, Leanne, in 2003 and we have three daughters who have lived their entire lives here in the community. It is because I want this community to be a place they can live and work in, as I have, that I am running for Council.

I try to volunteer when I can, and serve on the Board of Bracken Heights Housing Co-Operative, Squamish Helping Hands Society and am a member of the Squamish Lions Club. I believe in giving of yourself for the benefit of others.

One of the things I am most proud of has been writing a column for The Squamish Reporter called Insight which focuses on local issues. We also produce a cheeky satire column, usually every second issue.

Squamish does not, in my opinion, need a revolution. It is not broken. We have challenges we need to address, but they are nothing we cannot handle together. This community was handed to us by many generations who struggled with similar problems to today’s and made the decisions they thought were best for the future. We are their future, the beneficiaries of their investments, and it is our job to pass the torch to future generations so that they will inherit a Squamish that, in the words of the Pledge of Athenian Youth, is ‘not only not lesser, but greater, better and more beautiful’.

I prefer to avoid making wish lists. If elected I would be only one of seven members of Council, each with their own priorities. I can only pledge to work with them the best I can and to try to persuade them towards some of my goals, which include:

•Fiscal: Keeping taxes (esp. on business) as low as reasonable, reining in spending.

•Economy: Creating conditions that favour growth, limiting unnecessary regulation. Rebuilding our industrial base.

•Governance: Excelling at the things local government does well. Avoiding distractions/adventures. Avoiding posturing. Encouraging respectful and rational debate. Keeping the public in the information loop.

•Housing: Working to create more affordable/non-market housing for working families.

•People: Protecting our most vulnerable. Paying attention to seniors’ issues.

•Safety: Ensuring the integrity of our dikes, roads and other safety systems.

•Environment: Enhancing and protecting the environment, recognizing careful compromise is necessary to provide jobs for families.

We need to calm the tone of our political discourse. We need reasoned debate, rather than inflated rhetoric and insults. We do not need an entire Council of like thinkers but rather a diverse group representative of the whole. I hope to be part of that team for the next four years, and I hope you will vote for me on November 15.