The End… For Now
This campaign has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and to see the impact it has had is very humbling. I have learned so much over this past year, and had the opportunity to engage with and talk to so many unique and amazing individuals, all with different views, opinions, and ideas.
We knocked on thousands of doors in the ward, some even twice throughout the campaign period. As my friend Graeme said to me, “I wish we wearing pedometers to see how many kilometers we have walked”. I cannot agree more with that statement; it would be a staggering number, which shows just a small part of the effort we put into this campaign. I am so proud of my team and all that we have accomplished. Throughout the entire campaign period we had a total of over 25 individuals helping out, whether it be knocking on doors, putting up signs, or doing whatever else needed to be done. Without these amazing people we would not have been nearly as successful and I cannot say enough to truly thank them.
Thank you to everyone who helped out, it would not have been the same without you. The election results were very close all the way to the end, being edged out by just over 100 votes (just 1.8%) by former and returning Councillor Sandy White. Nevertheless, this campaign was a victory and success on it’s own which can be seen in the impact it had on Ward 14, and London as a whole. The amount of amazing feedback and comments during the election and after (as can be seen through our 1605 votes) really shows that people want change, and when they have a candidate they can truly put their faith in who has good and fresh ideas they will (Michelle and I, the two new candidates, totaled over 40% of all ballots cast).
Waking up the morning after the election was odd to say the least, as I now have no more doors to knock on, no more interviews to do, and simply put, no more campaigning to do.
Nonetheless, I continue to be involved in my community and hope to become even further involved. The people of Ward 14 are all amazing individuals and I cannot thank them enough for their support which included some really great emails and phone calls that are still rolling in. No matter who your Councillor is, make sure your voice is heard, and if their is something you are passionate about, do something with it.
Many people have asked me already, “will you be running again in four years?”, and that is a great question. Four years is quite a bit of time, and I am excited to see where ill be during them and what I will be doing. What i can say for sure though is that i will continue to stay involved, and I will be following our council and it’s decisions very closely. No promises, but this is my passion, and I would love the opportunity to be a direct advocate for Londoners. Thank you again for reading and for all the support.
Until next time,
Jared
