Susan Chapelle
When someone says no, I want to understand why. Is it money, timing, a legal restriction or simply that Ward 14’s needs have not been taken seriously? The answer determines what I do next. I served two terms on Council. I know you can disagree strongly with someone and still work together the following week. I would be direct about what residents need, what has been refused and who has the authority to change it. I would bring residents and businesses into the conversation, build support with other councillors and use Council motions, public meetings and the media when necessary. The strongest pressure comes from people explaining what a decision means in their daily lives: a shop losing customers, a caregiver unable to reach a bus stop or a family kept awake by construction. My job is to connect those experiences to a specific, workable demand. I would challenge a decision without making the dispute personal. I would keep speaking with the people who can resolve it, even while publicly pressing them to act. If they offer a useful improvement, I would take it and keep working on what remains. Residents deserve progress, and they deserve honesty about the obstacles.