Adriano Ciotoli
(Ward 4)
I was born in Windsor Ontario and raised in Old Walkerville, Ward 4 all my life.
My parents (both of whom are of Italian descent), my two sisters and brother are a very close knit family.
After graduating from St. Clair College in the Computer Systems Technician program, I founded WindsorEats, a culinary guide for the region and eventually brought in one of my sisters as a co-owner. I am an ardent supporter of local businesses throughout Windsor and Essex County and, through my business WindsorEats, have a great feel on the pulse of our business and residential communities. I also played a key role bringing in the Bike Train to Windsor for a pilot project this past summer.
Prior to registering for this upcoming election, I was the Special Events & Facilities Assistant with Parks & Recreation of the City of Windsor. I made the decision to take leave from my valued employment to pursue a passion, to see the city of Windsor thrive and become the vibrant and successful city it should be.
I am firm believer that the arts and culture in our region can provide significant economic and social benefit to our city, making it a more liveable community. As part of my support for the arts and culture in my community, I attend local music and theatre performances, visit local galleries, and purchase art by local artists for my own personal collection. In addition to this, I am a card carrying member of the WEA.
To give back to the community, the last couple years have seen me act as a member of the Via Italia Bike Race Association which organizes the annual Tour di Via Italia bike races. I am also a proud member of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association’s marketing committee.
I am also an avid soccer fan keen soccer player still playing in the Windsor & District Soccer League with Polonia FC. A couple times a week I also strap on the pads as a goalie playing pickup hockey with friends.
My parents (both of whom are of Italian descent), my two sisters and brother are a very close knit family.
After graduating from St. Clair College in the Computer Systems Technician program, I founded WindsorEats, a culinary guide for the region and eventually brought in one of my sisters as a co-owner. I am an ardent supporter of local businesses throughout Windsor and Essex County and, through my business WindsorEats, have a great feel on the pulse of our business and residential communities. I also played a key role bringing in the Bike Train to Windsor for a pilot project this past summer.
Prior to registering for this upcoming election, I was the Special Events & Facilities Assistant with Parks & Recreation of the City of Windsor. I made the decision to take leave from my valued employment to pursue a passion, to see the city of Windsor thrive and become the vibrant and successful city it should be.
I am firm believer that the arts and culture in our region can provide significant economic and social benefit to our city, making it a more liveable community. As part of my support for the arts and culture in my community, I attend local music and theatre performances, visit local galleries, and purchase art by local artists for my own personal collection. In addition to this, I am a card carrying member of the WEA.
To give back to the community, the last couple years have seen me act as a member of the Via Italia Bike Race Association which organizes the annual Tour di Via Italia bike races. I am also a proud member of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association’s marketing committee.
I am also an avid soccer fan keen soccer player still playing in the Windsor & District Soccer League with Polonia FC. A couple times a week I also strap on the pads as a goalie playing pickup hockey with friends.
Name five (5) issues that you've identified in your ward, briefly describe them if you'd like and discuss how you can be of impact toward them.
I. Lack of Voice if status quo is voted for
One of the major issues that I have identified in Ward 4 is that we will essentially be without a voice at the council table should the incumbent be re-elected. In the lead up to filing my papers to run for council, and in the time since, I have met with various individuals who are very familiar with the current council and administration. I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear what almost each of these individuals mentioned: The majority of council do not trust nor support Alan Halberstadt.
Two recent issues that Mr. Halberstadt has brought forward lean towards proving this. While not terrible in and of themselves, the motion to introduce a Deputy Mayor position and a motion to remove the mayor’s “mute” button were both voted against 9-1.
I have voted for Halberstadt in past elections as he has worked hard for his constituents. However, over the years he has become known more for his dissenting voice on council than anything else. It is OK to be the maverick, but at some point, to the detriment of our ward and our city, people stop listening. What he has failed to realize is that the votes against his motions had nothing to do with the deputy mayor position or with the mute button. They have everything to do with Mr. Halberstadt. He has relegated himself, and in the process our ward, with his “always against” nature and his grandstanding.
II. The lack of investment into Business Improvement Areas and core areas of the city
Business Improvement Areas (B.I.A.) are important parts of the core neighbourhoods in our city. High commercial vacancy rates, recently cited at over 25% in our B.I.A.s, are plaguing our core neighbourhoods forcing residents to always leave their neighbourhoods for basic necessities. This is a major contributor to sprawl and the building of infrastructure the city cannot afford to maintain. Windsor’s Planning Department recently requested a moratorium on new commercial development as a study has shown we are over saturated with commercial space. However, our current council has delayed the issue time after time because of pressure from developers looking for profit rather than doing what is in the best interest of our communities, neighbourhoods and residents as a whole.
III. Urban blight and abandoned homes
While Old Sandwich rightfully gets the majority of the media attention, the area near the Ambassador Bridge is not the only area fighting urban blight. I am not making light of what is happening in the west end of Windsor, it is extreme. However, other well established areas in our city, including in the heart of Old Walkerville, are now seeing abandoned homes pop up. Houses on Chilver, Monmouth and other roads have been vacant for at least a year. This is leaving neighbours worried about the possibility of something similar happening to what has recently took place in Old Sandwich with the burning of an abandoned home.
IV. Truck traffic down Wyandotte and Devonshire
While I am familiar with the truck traffic on Wyandotte and the valiant attempts of a group of citizens to have them removed, the problem includes more than just Wyandotte.
I recently held a ‘Meet & Eat’ at Taloola Café on Devonshire Road inviting the general public to get to know me. It was a beautiful day so we decided to sit out on the patio. It didn’t take long before the first big rig coming from Riverside Drive rode by. Every few minutes another rolled along. The noise and smell we so distracting and intrusive we were almost forced inside. These trucks should not be taking these roads. Period.
Wyandotte and Devonshire each have only one lane in each direction and Wyandotte is lined with shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants with outdoor patios. It should be a place where people flock to stroll, shop, taste the local cuisine and enjoy the patio life, not one where conversations are routinely interrupted by the rumbling of a big rig hurrying by.
V. Basement flooding.
Residents in Old Walkerville and South Walkerville, as well as other parts of the city, have for years and possibly decades been asking for help as their basements flood after almost each rainfall. After the latest disaster, City Hall’s response was simply to haul away everyone’s damaged belongings free of charge. Like many issues they are confronted with, instead of fixing the root of the issue, City Hall felt this was an adequate patchwork response. In this day and age, no resident of Windsor should have to deal with sewage floating in their basement at all let alone on such a regular basis.
After years of asking for a lending hand to their flooding issues, residents on the 1200 block of Windermere have largely been ignored. After each moderate rainfall the road resembles a lake with water flowing over the curbs and onto the sidewalks. This is only one area as South Walkerville is well known for their flooding issues. What will it take for our residents to be heard?
Name a single issue city-wide that you feel deserves immediate attention and that you will dedicate your time toward if elected.
While ‘jobs’ is the cliché response to expect, with the highest unemployment rate in Canada, it’s the reality. However, it isn’t just about saying “we need jobs”. Windsor has to create an environment that nurtures and sustains the companies that create them. No other candidate has proposed any details on how to bring these jobs to our city. I am proposing a “Green Jobs Policy” that will encourage green research, green development and green manufacturing companies to call Windsor home.
While you may or may not agree with its significance, green energy and environmentalism is here and will arguably be major players in not just the future of Windsor, but every city.
A few components of my “Green Jobs Policy” would include:
A Municipal Sustainable Building Policy
A Municipal Sustainable Building Policy (MSBP) should be established to procure more green technology firms. The policy would act as a minimum green standard for the construction of any new municipal buildings within the City of Windsor.
The policy can be taken one step further demanding that all development within the city meet the Municipal Sustainable Building Policy’s requirements. The mentality of ‘any development is good development’ must end.
The policy could be used to lure green tech businesses to cluster in an area where green technology and policies are the norm and therefore setting up an environment within the city that could help sustain their businesses and the jobs they create.
More details on my MSBP can be found at <a href="http://adrianociotoli.com/creating-an-industry-bringing-in-jobs-with-a-sustainable-building-policy%C2%A0" rel="nofollow">http://adrianociotoli.com/creating-an-industry-bringing-in-jobs-with-a-sustainable-building-policy </a>;
Convert Rooftops on Municipal Buildings to Green Rooftops
Convert rooftops of municipal buildings in Windsor to green rooftops. Studies have shown this not only helps cool that particular building itself during the summer, saving in cooling costs, but also on a larger scale, helps cool the surrounding area.
Solar Powered and LED Street and Traffic Lights
The Green Jobs Policy would begin converting the Windsor’s street and traffic lights to solar powered LED lights. While initial costs are higher, the benefits will be drastically reduced usage of power and monthly savings to the city’s coffers. Also, the solar lights would be off the grid therefore power outages, such as those attributed through thunderstorms and even the major blackout of 2003, wouldn’t affect them. This would help nurture and invest in the products that would be made in our own city.
What, in your view, would be a catalyst toward spurring development in Downtown Windsor? (e.g. a major investment, free parking, reduced taxes)
Implementing policies that would encourage infill and development within the core, which is another piece of my Municipal Sustainable Building Policy (MSBP), could go a long way in rejuvenating Downtown Windsor as well as other core areas within the city.
Simply providing free parking or reduced taxes will not solve the problems. My proposed MSBP, could go a long way to bring development back into the core areas of Windsor and reduce sprawl.
To coincide with my MSBP, implementing the Planning Department’s recommendation of a temporary hold on new commercial development is another key in revitalizing the core areas of our city. Current members of council have stalled on this because of pressure from developers and a quick dollar, rather than implementing it in the best interest of our residents and their communities
The “Cultural Hub” being proposed by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra could essentially redefine downtown as a whole and send it on a completely new, revitalized path. The mentality of our current council needs to change. No one blinked an eye on spending $70 million on a new arena and possibly another $20-30 million on a swimming pool, but chaos breaks loose when the slightest amount of dollars is mentioned on being spent on the arts. I am a big sports fan. I play organized soccer and pickup hockey multiple times a week. I recognize the need and importance for first class sports facilities in Windsor, but, I am also a proponent for our arts and culture and know the economic impact it can have on a city. There needs to be a balance on what the city spends on sports and the arts.
As part of my goal to reinvest in neighbourhoods and communities, I recommend providing each Business Improvement Area with a percentage of revenue from parking meters located within their districts. These dollars would go to cleaning and beautifying the BIAs and help lure businesses and turn them back into destinations while continuing to support their surrounding neighbourhoods.
Windsor's youth make up a significant portion of the population. What would you do to make Windsor a better place for our youth: children, teens and young adults?
Many community centres act for the most part as rental facilities now, rather than a place for neighbourhoods and communities to enjoy. If you don’t have the dollars to spend, you don’t get to enjoy them. How is that something benefiting a community?
I believe in revamping community centres to be modern hubs of activity with computers, sports leagues and more taking place within their walls. The key to this would be to offer these activities for free or keep them as inexpensive as possible. Here are some of the items I would propose:
-Implement recreational sports leagues that span multiple weeks and are free or of very minimal cost to join. This would give our youth the opportunity to be involved in team sports and learn the value of teamwork.
-Set aside one room in each community centre as a computer lab. Cost could potentially be zero to minimal by working together with the Computers for Kids program offered by CAW Local 200 which assists the children of our community with computer access. This would provide anyone in our community, regardless of income, access to a computer to learn, complete school work and further their job skills.
-Free “trial runs” of programs scheduled at community centres for people to try out to see if they like it. Once a week, offer a single class from a different program to allow individuals to try. What many people are unaware of is that a large amount of the courses offered in the Parks & Recreation Activity Guide are cancelled due to low registration. Allowing people to sample these courses could make them realize they enjoy a program they would otherwise have thought they wouldn’t and increase registration.
-Provide one hour of free, organized gymnasium time per day. For example, Mondays would be an hour of free pickup volleyball, Tuesday would offer basketball, and Wednesday could be floor hockey and so on. The days could also be organized by age groups allowing youth and young adults their own days to the free hour.
As the individuals chosen to lead our city, councillors are responsible for creating an environment that residents are happy to call their home. While I understand the need for fiscal responsibility, I also believe that there are certain things in community building that you just cannot put a dollar figure on.
By providing youth and young adults with a place to enjoy and express themselves, you reduce the possibility of any conflicts occurring in the neighbourhoods. What this also does is instill municipal pride and a mindset that our neighbourhoods, communities and city are an enjoyable place to live.
I. Lack of Voice if status quo is voted for
One of the major issues that I have identified in Ward 4 is that we will essentially be without a voice at the council table should the incumbent be re-elected. In the lead up to filing my papers to run for council, and in the time since, I have met with various individuals who are very familiar with the current council and administration. I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear what almost each of these individuals mentioned: The majority of council do not trust nor support Alan Halberstadt.
Two recent issues that Mr. Halberstadt has brought forward lean towards proving this. While not terrible in and of themselves, the motion to introduce a Deputy Mayor position and a motion to remove the mayor’s “mute” button were both voted against 9-1.
I have voted for Halberstadt in past elections as he has worked hard for his constituents. However, over the years he has become known more for his dissenting voice on council than anything else. It is OK to be the maverick, but at some point, to the detriment of our ward and our city, people stop listening. What he has failed to realize is that the votes against his motions had nothing to do with the deputy mayor position or with the mute button. They have everything to do with Mr. Halberstadt. He has relegated himself, and in the process our ward, with his “always against” nature and his grandstanding.
II. The lack of investment into Business Improvement Areas and core areas of the city
Business Improvement Areas (B.I.A.) are important parts of the core neighbourhoods in our city. High commercial vacancy rates, recently cited at over 25% in our B.I.A.s, are plaguing our core neighbourhoods forcing residents to always leave their neighbourhoods for basic necessities. This is a major contributor to sprawl and the building of infrastructure the city cannot afford to maintain. Windsor’s Planning Department recently requested a moratorium on new commercial development as a study has shown we are over saturated with commercial space. However, our current council has delayed the issue time after time because of pressure from developers looking for profit rather than doing what is in the best interest of our communities, neighbourhoods and residents as a whole.
III. Urban blight and abandoned homes
While Old Sandwich rightfully gets the majority of the media attention, the area near the Ambassador Bridge is not the only area fighting urban blight. I am not making light of what is happening in the west end of Windsor, it is extreme. However, other well established areas in our city, including in the heart of Old Walkerville, are now seeing abandoned homes pop up. Houses on Chilver, Monmouth and other roads have been vacant for at least a year. This is leaving neighbours worried about the possibility of something similar happening to what has recently took place in Old Sandwich with the burning of an abandoned home.
IV. Truck traffic down Wyandotte and Devonshire
While I am familiar with the truck traffic on Wyandotte and the valiant attempts of a group of citizens to have them removed, the problem includes more than just Wyandotte.
I recently held a ‘Meet & Eat’ at Taloola Café on Devonshire Road inviting the general public to get to know me. It was a beautiful day so we decided to sit out on the patio. It didn’t take long before the first big rig coming from Riverside Drive rode by. Every few minutes another rolled along. The noise and smell we so distracting and intrusive we were almost forced inside. These trucks should not be taking these roads. Period.
Wyandotte and Devonshire each have only one lane in each direction and Wyandotte is lined with shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants with outdoor patios. It should be a place where people flock to stroll, shop, taste the local cuisine and enjoy the patio life, not one where conversations are routinely interrupted by the rumbling of a big rig hurrying by.
V. Basement flooding.
Residents in Old Walkerville and South Walkerville, as well as other parts of the city, have for years and possibly decades been asking for help as their basements flood after almost each rainfall. After the latest disaster, City Hall’s response was simply to haul away everyone’s damaged belongings free of charge. Like many issues they are confronted with, instead of fixing the root of the issue, City Hall felt this was an adequate patchwork response. In this day and age, no resident of Windsor should have to deal with sewage floating in their basement at all let alone on such a regular basis.
After years of asking for a lending hand to their flooding issues, residents on the 1200 block of Windermere have largely been ignored. After each moderate rainfall the road resembles a lake with water flowing over the curbs and onto the sidewalks. This is only one area as South Walkerville is well known for their flooding issues. What will it take for our residents to be heard?
Name a single issue city-wide that you feel deserves immediate attention and that you will dedicate your time toward if elected.
While ‘jobs’ is the cliché response to expect, with the highest unemployment rate in Canada, it’s the reality. However, it isn’t just about saying “we need jobs”. Windsor has to create an environment that nurtures and sustains the companies that create them. No other candidate has proposed any details on how to bring these jobs to our city. I am proposing a “Green Jobs Policy” that will encourage green research, green development and green manufacturing companies to call Windsor home.
While you may or may not agree with its significance, green energy and environmentalism is here and will arguably be major players in not just the future of Windsor, but every city.
A few components of my “Green Jobs Policy” would include:
A Municipal Sustainable Building Policy
A Municipal Sustainable Building Policy (MSBP) should be established to procure more green technology firms. The policy would act as a minimum green standard for the construction of any new municipal buildings within the City of Windsor.
The policy can be taken one step further demanding that all development within the city meet the Municipal Sustainable Building Policy’s requirements. The mentality of ‘any development is good development’ must end.
The policy could be used to lure green tech businesses to cluster in an area where green technology and policies are the norm and therefore setting up an environment within the city that could help sustain their businesses and the jobs they create.
More details on my MSBP can be found at <a href="http://adrianociotoli.com/creating-an-industry-bringing-in-jobs-with-a-sustainable-building-policy%C2%A0" rel="nofollow">http://adrianociotoli.com/creating-an-industry-bringing-in-jobs-with-a-sustainable-building-policy </a>;
Convert Rooftops on Municipal Buildings to Green Rooftops
Convert rooftops of municipal buildings in Windsor to green rooftops. Studies have shown this not only helps cool that particular building itself during the summer, saving in cooling costs, but also on a larger scale, helps cool the surrounding area.
Solar Powered and LED Street and Traffic Lights
The Green Jobs Policy would begin converting the Windsor’s street and traffic lights to solar powered LED lights. While initial costs are higher, the benefits will be drastically reduced usage of power and monthly savings to the city’s coffers. Also, the solar lights would be off the grid therefore power outages, such as those attributed through thunderstorms and even the major blackout of 2003, wouldn’t affect them. This would help nurture and invest in the products that would be made in our own city.
What, in your view, would be a catalyst toward spurring development in Downtown Windsor? (e.g. a major investment, free parking, reduced taxes)
Implementing policies that would encourage infill and development within the core, which is another piece of my Municipal Sustainable Building Policy (MSBP), could go a long way in rejuvenating Downtown Windsor as well as other core areas within the city.
Simply providing free parking or reduced taxes will not solve the problems. My proposed MSBP, could go a long way to bring development back into the core areas of Windsor and reduce sprawl.
To coincide with my MSBP, implementing the Planning Department’s recommendation of a temporary hold on new commercial development is another key in revitalizing the core areas of our city. Current members of council have stalled on this because of pressure from developers and a quick dollar, rather than implementing it in the best interest of our residents and their communities
The “Cultural Hub” being proposed by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra could essentially redefine downtown as a whole and send it on a completely new, revitalized path. The mentality of our current council needs to change. No one blinked an eye on spending $70 million on a new arena and possibly another $20-30 million on a swimming pool, but chaos breaks loose when the slightest amount of dollars is mentioned on being spent on the arts. I am a big sports fan. I play organized soccer and pickup hockey multiple times a week. I recognize the need and importance for first class sports facilities in Windsor, but, I am also a proponent for our arts and culture and know the economic impact it can have on a city. There needs to be a balance on what the city spends on sports and the arts.
As part of my goal to reinvest in neighbourhoods and communities, I recommend providing each Business Improvement Area with a percentage of revenue from parking meters located within their districts. These dollars would go to cleaning and beautifying the BIAs and help lure businesses and turn them back into destinations while continuing to support their surrounding neighbourhoods.
Windsor's youth make up a significant portion of the population. What would you do to make Windsor a better place for our youth: children, teens and young adults?
Many community centres act for the most part as rental facilities now, rather than a place for neighbourhoods and communities to enjoy. If you don’t have the dollars to spend, you don’t get to enjoy them. How is that something benefiting a community?
I believe in revamping community centres to be modern hubs of activity with computers, sports leagues and more taking place within their walls. The key to this would be to offer these activities for free or keep them as inexpensive as possible. Here are some of the items I would propose:
-Implement recreational sports leagues that span multiple weeks and are free or of very minimal cost to join. This would give our youth the opportunity to be involved in team sports and learn the value of teamwork.
-Set aside one room in each community centre as a computer lab. Cost could potentially be zero to minimal by working together with the Computers for Kids program offered by CAW Local 200 which assists the children of our community with computer access. This would provide anyone in our community, regardless of income, access to a computer to learn, complete school work and further their job skills.
-Free “trial runs” of programs scheduled at community centres for people to try out to see if they like it. Once a week, offer a single class from a different program to allow individuals to try. What many people are unaware of is that a large amount of the courses offered in the Parks & Recreation Activity Guide are cancelled due to low registration. Allowing people to sample these courses could make them realize they enjoy a program they would otherwise have thought they wouldn’t and increase registration.
-Provide one hour of free, organized gymnasium time per day. For example, Mondays would be an hour of free pickup volleyball, Tuesday would offer basketball, and Wednesday could be floor hockey and so on. The days could also be organized by age groups allowing youth and young adults their own days to the free hour.
As the individuals chosen to lead our city, councillors are responsible for creating an environment that residents are happy to call their home. While I understand the need for fiscal responsibility, I also believe that there are certain things in community building that you just cannot put a dollar figure on.
By providing youth and young adults with a place to enjoy and express themselves, you reduce the possibility of any conflicts occurring in the neighbourhoods. What this also does is instill municipal pride and a mindset that our neighbourhoods, communities and city are an enjoyable place to live.
Email:
info@adrianociotoli.com
Website: http://adrianociotoli.com/
