Gary Samler: Former Military Man Running for Council by: Markus Noé
Gary Samler, former Torontonian, has put his name in to run for city council. Poverty and practical spending will be Samler’s number one issue that he will be tackling throughout his campaign. Samler’s other focus will be finding ways to keep the youth in Cornwall through job creation.
When asked his opinion about city officials receiving pay increases Samler said, “We have people that are going to food banks because they are trying to recover from job losses. Because of this I would not have voted for Paul Fitzpatrick’s substantial raise this year. If the city was in a better position I would understand it, but we are going to be running a deficit this year, and while we are in a deficit I would vote no to raises across the board.”
The ongoing improvements being made to the hospital, and the cost to keep it functional every year, has been a long standing issue in Cornwall. Samler spoke briefly on this issue when he said, “The hospital situation is a disgrace; its too top heavy. We have more admin then doctors. They always cut jobs from the bottom never from the top.”
Before the 3 +1 arena project was finalized recently, it was a topic of major debate throughout the community. Samler shared his thoughts on this situation when he said, “Personally I don’t think we need one. However I do understand that the Bob Turner and the Si Miller are in poor condition. For now I think the money could be used better elsewhere.”
Being able to keep the youth of Cornwall in town is another issue Samler wants to see resolved. He shared his frustration with this topic when he said, “We have a lot of young people with these nice degrees but no where to use them. There are not many jobs available in town beside fast food or the labour industry.I want to retain the youth and find programs to keep them here. Cornwall is a beautiful city and I think we need to promote the city to Cornwallites.”
Samler has been around town doing his research on local issues. He has visited Job Zone numerous times, and has been surprised to see the amount of people with extensive education who are unable to find lucrative work. Samler talked about this when he said, “I’ve seen doctors and lawyers at Job Zone who can’t find work in their field and are forced to work minimum wage jobs.”
Gary Samler is originally from Quebec City. Like his Father, he was a Military man. Samler spent six years with the army and another 15 with the navy. Until a decade ago, Samler lived in Toronto. He explained why he moved to Cornwall when he said, “Toronto is an unsafe place to raise a family and way too costly.”
Samler will be hard at work to obtain the votes needed to join Council from now until Election Day, October 25 2010.
If interested in contacting me I can be reached at markus.noé@live.com
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The 3 and 1 arena is coming. It is possible it could become a nice asset to our city but, I also think, it might just become another building sitting empty most of the time here in Cornwall like the Aultsville theatre and Ed Lumley arena whenever the Colts are not playing. My concern is, that if it does sit empty most of the time,, possibly because not many people in Cornwall hve enough money to be able to attend any events being held there and cannot afford to use the facilities it could become a nightmare for the city later on. I wish the projecct well and hope the building does well but I would hate to think other projects could have benefitted and missed out if this arena project fails.
Without modern infrastructure young, educated families and individuals will not settle in the area. It is for this reason that my wife and I – who love Cornwall – have considered relocating to Kingston in recent years. When choosing locations to raise children, things like arenas, pools, splash pads, and theatres matter. Interestingly, I think many of these features are also important to active and productive seniors looking to relocate.