Noah Walton - Mayoral Candidate

*transcribed speech

I would like to start by thanking all of you for joining us here tonight. My name is Noah Walton, I'm sure you all have seen my signs by now. I run for the honor of being mayor of the oldest and incorporated town in New Brunswick.

 

Yes, I'm taking this seriously. My signs have created a bit of a stir in the town people are talking about. That is the exact reason I was looking for as many of you don't know me.

 

I did not graduate from Woodstock, I don't run a business in town, or have any memberships in any special clubs here. I started my school days in Woodstock, but it's been two-thirds of my school years. About 30 minutes down the river, I have the strongest ties here in Woodstock.

 

My grandfather, Leo Campbell, taught shop at Woodstock Middle School for 30 years. For almost 30 years. He was involved in the design of numerous buildings here in Woodstock and surrounding areas. My grandmother, Gail, still lives in Northampton. My mother and uncle grew up here in Woodstock. Many people know my father from decades of living and working for the public here in town. I now live and work here in Woodstock. 

 

Why am I running? Many have asked. After listening to the frustrations of many, and feelings that there is a gap between the citizens and council, I decided to run.

 

As a young citizen here, there seems to be a great disconnect. The young people here want the town to move forward, as we, the ones that will be here for many years to come. Moving forward does not mean that we forget the past.

We must champion the leadership of the leaders that have come before us. As the cost of living is rising quicker than wages, we need to be very cautious and creative about how we increase revenue. Raising taxes can no longer be the go-to.

 

That's the easy way out. We need to increase opportunities for tourism and businesses to operate in our town. We should not be increasing the barriers, but making it easier for people to thrive.

 

We need young people, and we need to make it affordable for young people to set foot in our town. I've heard the word transparency thrown around in the last few weeks. I feel we all may see the definition of transparency differently.

 

Transparency is more than having council meetings broadcast live. It's more than sending out questionnaires where input. For people that live in the town, if things are not transparent, then there's something wrong. If the citizens feel there is no transparency, then things need to change. Action means more than words.

 

I'm naturally creative, problem-solving, and will quickly and efficiently and skillfully. Right now, we need to unite the greater community of Woodstock. We need to be proactive, not reactive. Creative, not conventional. We need to be progressive. You will notice I've been using the words we, not I. We need to forget our differences and look at our strengths to build a stronger Woodstock.

 

 Again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend tonight.