Jeff Stewart
Are you associated with or running as part of a slate? If so, which one?
No.
Do you live in the municipality where you are running, and if so, for how long? If not, what is your connection to that community?
Yes…I’ve lived here for 47 years.
What is your occupation, and for how long?
Store Manager, Western Foods, for past 10 years, worked for the company for 28 years.
Tell us about your previous elected and/or community experience.
I served a term as councillor on Sooke’s first council in 1999, and was narrowly defeated by 16 votes in the last municipal election. I have served as Interim President for Sooke Soccer, and remain a director for the organization. I am also a director for the Sooke Place Housing Society.
I have volunteered with the Sooke Music Festival and the Sooke Fine Arts, as well as many years coaching youth sports in soccer and lacrosse.
Why are you running? What’s your motivation?
I am running to deliver value for Sooke resident’s property tax dollars, using fiscal restraint, transparency and a common sense approach to local government spending. Too much of our hard earned tax dollars are dedicated to administration, and not enough on things that resonate with our residents, like sidewalks.
What are your top three issues?
1. Transportation- We need to find some immediate solutions to the traffic woes that are apparent to daily commuters and parents trying to get their kids to school in a timely fashion.
2. Affordable housing- Sooke needs to identify how we can have an affordable housing stock, and actually do something about it, so our youth, families, and seniors can afford to live here.
3. Financial responsibility-The taxpayer is not an endless well of money. In our present state of unchecked inflation and rising interest rates, I feel it is prudent to hold the line on future tax increases and find savings within the administration.
What’s your vision for your community in 25 years?
I see Sooke in 25 years as a vibrant seaside bedroom community, with plenty of unique local businesses and affordable housing options, to preserve our quaint small town feel. I see a community that has grown towards the water, and diversified it’s commercial core off of Highway 14, to capitalize on Sooke’s wonderful viewscapes. I see Sooke as a safe, inclusive and affordable place to live and work for youth, families and seniors alike,
What’s one “big idea” you have for your community?
I would love to deliver the financial plan for 2023 with a zero percent tax increase. With life in general being more expensive for all residents and taxpayers, local government spending is something we can actually control. We can still have the protective services, road improvements, and sidewalks we desire; we just need the political will to hold the line on tax increases and spend our money efficiently and transparently.
