BarrieToday recently reached out to each candidate for city council in Barrie's 10 wards for a 300-word profile in their own words about their background and why people should vote for them.
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Barrie’s Ward 2 is like a city within a city.
It is the heart of Barrie and a unique and special place. I am a community-committed person and Ward 2 is a community onto itself. It has all the needs and characteristics of a complete city. All 60 city services are delivered in our ward.
I worked for 28 years for our city, and recently retired as general manager. What I have learned is: We need to do things better to manage our investments and build the best possible city for all. I am running for council to help build a future for our ward and our city that is vibrant, achievable and sustainable.
I am a problem solver. As the Ward 2 councillor, that means translating the needs of our community and all its residents and businesses into meaningful, achievable solutions. As your councillor, that also means a shared-responsibility to work with council to plan and manage our future together.
Numbers tell an amazing tale of our city. Our annual operating budget is $300 million and our capital budget is $125 million. Barrie has over $3.3 billion in assets ranging from roads to water and wastewater treatment plants.
You know what all that is? It’s our money!
That’s why we need experience on council to translate our needs into actions that will benefit us. I have that experience. I have an MBA, and a masters of science in water resources. Over my career, I have managed over $1 billion in operating funds and delivered over $1 billion in infrastructure work.
I know we can do it better.
In Ward 2 we have many issues we need to solve together. Road repair, criminal activity, affordable housing, lack of response to resident and business needs all must be addressed and fixed.
As a longtime resident of Ward 2, I will work with you to do just that.
Website: www.richardforward.ca
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 705 229 6142
Twitter: RichardForward2@RForwardWard2
Instagram: richardforward_ward2
