Sworn in as the city councillor for Ward 4 on 1 December 2014. He was re-elected in 2018 and is serving his second term on city council. He served as Deputy Mayor for two years, ending my term in Dec 2020.
As a city councillor representing Ward 4 he considers his role as a legislator, a resource allocator, helping residents and listening, connecting, advocating and informing the community.
Tonight I am joined by Councillor Jesse Helmer Ward 4 Councillor in the City of London
- The first part begins with you, as we introduce you as the guest. Who are you? What is your day job (if not a full time politician)? How do you engage the community? Why did you run for council? What drives you?
- Who are your people? If you represent a ward/whole community what does it look like (urban, suburban, rural)? Who are your constituents – what do they do for a living, what are the issues you see in your inbox or talking to people week in and out.
- Describe your municipality as a whole. Paint a picture for someone who has not been to your town or community before or has only seen it as a sign on the side of a road. What is working, and what is not, what are you building towards? .
- What is your region, what is in common/different between your community and your neighbourhood? Most municipalities are a part of some upper tier government, how does your community fit into that upper tier?
- Finally, how does your community and constituents fit into SW Ontario as a whole? Why should someone in Kitchener or London (as examples) care about your community? What should a Torontonian know about your community and why it is important?
The second half of the show is a bit more political/policy related. We may not get to all of these topics and this might not be the order we discuss them in.
- COVID Impacts on London?
- Budget Impacts? London does a multi-year budget. How did that get impacted?
- Multi-year budget most municipalities don’t do that
- What would we be talking about if COVID didn’t happen?
- Not running again – stepping aside to help bring potentially bring diversity/perspectives to Council.
- Did the removal or ranked ballots play a role ?
- London growth and potential challenges of ex-urban Middlesex communities.
- Growth in Middlesex County vs London – Is there enough regional governance to manage it?
- Thoughts on the Provincial Budget?
- Where do you want London to be in 10 years? Challenges/Opportunities
- Magic policy wand – change one thing, what do you change and why?
SW Ontario Council Watcher 