Thanks again to everyone who followed my campaign, and supported it in some way. I truly can not express how much it all meant to me. Though it was hard at times, with many long, tiring days, this introvert (ironically) was frequently re-energized by knocking on doors and connecting with residents.

I’ve been so impressed meeting so many people in our community doing amazing things and I have learned a lot through that. My learning encompassed some really practical skills such as designing and maintaining a website, creating online videos, and feeling more comfortable speaking in public, even on television! It also involved learning how to tackle challenges, face criticism, and delve deep into problems to identify possible solutions.

I loved accumulating many stories from my adventures on the campaign trail. Some of those stories involved the other ward 9 candidates as I had a chance to connect with them over the last several months. I especially appreciated Phil’s sense of humour as he often had me laughing throughout the campaign (see middle photo below when Phil noted that even my flyers are taller than him). Several fun stories came from all of this being a new experience and not necessarily knowing protocol, like when I completely forgot to give a speech at my own campaign party! There are too many stories to share here of course, but I already enjoy looking back over them.

​And when I reflect back to the beginning of this journey, my only hopes were that I would learn more about my community and I would run a positive, creative campaign that I could be proud of at the end. I feel like I succeeded on both counts. I honestly believe that politics can be a force for good in our community and I hope I modeled that throughout the past 6 months. I’m proud that my campaign seemed to attract so many people who were positive about their neighbourhood and city and enthusiastic about building it up rather than fighting against it.

Of course, none of that could have been achieved without support from family, friends, neighbours, and residents. There are too many people to list here but I hope to reach out to you in person over the next while. I am particularly grateful for the group of female candidates running in the region who connected online and in person and were a huge support to one another and to me. It is just another example of the positivity that can happen through politics. And a huge congratulations to all those who ran. The time and effort you put into this process is to be commended.

My last paragraph, though, is saved for my number one supporter throughout my campaign (and life!), my spouse Todd. He was quick to support me when I tossed out this wild idea of running for council, and his support only grew through the campaign. He spent day after day (after day!) helping me with the campaign, placing lawn signs, editing my website, recording videos, and knocking on thousands of doors in rain, snow, and heat. Without a doubt, I could not have run the campaign I did without him.
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So now a bit of a rest and a few quiet evenings at home. But I already have some thoughts on how to support and build upon the great things happening in our neighbourhoods, ward, and city. Thanks again for your support and I look forward to continue building community together!

​I’ve noticed more press coverage lately about development in Downtown Kitchener. There have been Record news stories, a blog by current councillor Frank Etherington, and a column by Luisa D’Amato.

This coverage is sometimes limited or incomplete in my view, focusing only on the pace of development or on heritage preservation. The issue is also much broader than any one particular development or proposal. Rather, the discussion needs to focus on how Kitchener grows and develops thoughtfully.

One way the city demonstrates priorities and its commitment to issues is by establishing committees on those topics: arts and culture, safe and healthy communities, heritage, and environment. The creation of these citizen committees indicates the city’s desire to hear about these issues and act to address them.

As councillor I would propose a citizens housing committee to actively seek out partnerships and innovative solutions to some of our challenges around housing supply and affordability.

Kitchener needs a more proactive approach to housing and development. Currently a development is proposed and we only hear from those who oppose it. It’s reactive and the strongest voices may not be representative of the feelings of the broader community. We need a more diverse group of people involved in these discussions and much earlier in the process. I believe a citizens housing committee could offer exactly that. Such a committee must include a variety of perspectives and backgrounds such as those just entering the housing market, renters, those in multi-residential buildings, and newcomers.

I believe all ward 9 candidates are concerned about housing. However, be cautious of any who promise both affordable housing and intensification, while at the same time actively oppose multiple development proposals. 

I am working toward a city that is more inclusive, engaged, and supported. I believe a citizens housing committee would address all three goals. It would be an inclusive committee that intentionally seeks out various perspectives and backgrounds. It would engage citizens to create innovative solutions in providing more diverse housing options. And it would be supported by the city which would provide tools, resources, and staff.

I’m glad to see people are talking about housing and development. Now we need to take the necessary steps to create more and varied housing, beginning with the creation of a citizens housing committee to ensure we develop a city with housing for all.

​Late last year, a friend of mine involved in local politics asked if I had ever considered running for municipal council. She outlined a number of reasons she thought I would be a strong representative for residents in ward 9. Of course, it’s clear now that I took her advice and am running to be our next ward 9 councillor. The journey so far has connected me to a number of local organizations who encourage and support women to become more engaged in local politics, including running for office.

One group that provided both the inspiration and the information needed to run for local politics was the Women’s Municipal Campaign School which offered two days of workshops in the Region. Not only did I learn a lot at these sessions, but I was welcomed into a supportive community of passionate women dedicated to helping more women run and get elected.
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Through these connections I then became involved in starting a local chapter of Equal Voice, a multi-partisan organization "dedicated to electing more women to all levels of political office in Canada." I was elected as co-vice chair to the steering committee and I have contributed to establishing the direction for the local chapter.

​Once I filed my nomination papers in May, I started talking more seriously with other women who are running this fall. We are now a group of 15 women who connect regularly, through social media, attending each other’s campaign events, or even attending fun, local events in our community such as Music Bingo at Descendants (pictured left).

And this past January I marched with many others in the Women’s March Canada in downtown Kitchener. This began my connection with an organization that offers a wide variety of supports and education, including a desire to see progressive women run in local politics. They are currently compiling a list of such candidates and posting it to their website. Here’s my profile on that page.

An essential component of our democratic system is the representation of all citizens. Everyone deserves to have a voice at the table. Our current local councils do not yet have gender parity. More women on council is one step we can take to better mirror the demographics of our community. I am proud to work with organizations like those mentioned above to support more diversity on our local councils.

If you would like to meet some of the amazing women running locally this fall, consider joining us Tuesday evening for a meet-and-greet event. Find out details here.

Recently on Twitter, Devils Cut Podcast posed the following question: "We know campaigns can be tough, so to lighten things up we're asking candidates if they had campaign music, or a song they feel represents them, what would it be? Could be an artist, or an album, anything! Thanks!"
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This got me thinking, and as much as I wanted to pick one song to represent the campaign, I couldn’t. Hence this blog post! You see, I couldn’t pick just one song as my experiences on the campaign are so varied. No two days look quite the same, so one song was not going to suffice.
Here is a little peek into what some days can look like on the campaign trail, and a song that best represents that to me.

First up is Jeremy Fisher’s Nothing to Lose. This is a great song that motivates to keep trying new things. Whether that’s running for local office or trying creative ways to engage with citizens while on the campaign trail, this song is a great motivator for me.

Next, I need to include The Proclaimers’ I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) in honour of all of the walking involved in knocking on doors to connect with residents in ward 9.

Of course, some of those days on the campaign trail can be hard work, leaving me exhausted at the end of the day. I’m thankful to my core group of supporters, especially my campaign manager/spouse who continually encourage and support me. One of my favourite local artists, Richard Garvey has just the song for this. “I Will Meet You Where You Are” is a lovely song that speaks to this support.

On those harder days, my support team always reminds to simply “Shake It Off” and I can only do that with Walk Off The Earth’s version of that song of course!

Once I shake it off, I’m off to talk to residents again to discuss important issues in ward 9 including affordable housing, traffic-calming strategies, and active transportation. Conversations around cycling of course means I need to turn up Queen’s “Bicycle Race”!
And then head to the core since as Petula Clark reminds us things will be great when you’re “Downtown”!
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Thanks for the fun question Devils Cut Podcast. I often have music playing as I go about my day. It was fun to think about how certain songs connect to my work on the campaign trail!

Campaign season is in full swing and that means my days and evenings are busy knocking on doors, posting to the website, and preparing for debates. But life is all about balance and it’s time to have a little fun! Join me each week for a segment I am calling “Where in the Ward is Melissa Bowman?”

I was recently reminded of a computer game I played in school where players were encouraged to use geography clues to locate the main character, Carmen Sandiego. It eventually became a popular television show as well. Reflecting on it now, I am sure teachers rejoiced as students were enthusiastically riddled with geography questions. As a student of course, it just felt like pure fun, but apparently, I was also learning something as well!

​Here’s how it works: I will take a note from those teachers’ playbook for my game – a little bit of learning along with some fun. On Tuesdays I will post a single picture of a location in ward 9. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to use your observation skills to identify my location. On Wednesdays I will post my location along with a short video with a little more information about that space.
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I have had a lot of fun putting this together and enjoyed learning more about some great spaces in our neighbourhoods. I hope you’ll join me each week for a little tour around ward 9!

While knocking on doors, several residents have inquired about the potential for better cycling options in the city. “I live just a couple of kilometres from work and would like to ride my bike sometimes,” said one resident. Another recalled “I used to bike a lot but not any more.” Both felt it was unsafe to ride their bike on city streets. These citizens fall into the “interested, but concerned” group of cyclists. They want to ride but the lack of quality and plentiful cycling infrastructure inhibits their choice.

Last evening, I held a discussion based on the book Building the Cycling City by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett. We had an enjoyable discussion at Open Sesame over refreshments; the bookmobike joined us as well. Everyone who attended currently cycles to varying degrees.
The prominent topic of the evening was bike transportation. Although some cycle purely for sport or leisure, there are many residents who use their bike for transportation. The book addressed this issue in a chapter titled “Transport, not sport”. Of course, both recreation and transportation are legitimate uses for bikes. However, different infrastructure needs to be in place for these different uses.

The group also identified several impediments to cycling in the city. Having secure storage for bikes is extremely important. Everyone who attended had at least one bike stolen and stated how discouraging, frustrating, and costly that experience is. On the same note, everyone lauded Kitchener’s Bike Check program that provides secured parking at many Kitchener events.

​Other practical issues were noted by attendees:

• Where do you take a child who is just learning to ride a bike?
• Is it even worth reporting a bike theft? Is it taken seriously by police?
• Although trails are improving, trail users could benefit from having more wayfinding signage.
• It can be challenging to find places to lock your bike, especially during the winter months when many bike racks are removed in order to allow winter maintenance.

There were also some great suggestions and comments on practical ways to build the cycling city:

• Have a Regional staff person committed to developing a connected biking network.
• Establish incentives for cycling and/or reducing driving.
• Address bike theft with a bike serial number registry similar to the one in Guelph.

Urban activist Jane Jacobs quipped that “the point of cities is multiplicity of choice.” I believe that statement applies to many areas of city-building including transportation options. There will be people who never choose to cycle. There will be those who will cycle whether there is quality infrastructure provided or not. It is the people in the middle, that “interested, but concerned” group that will most benefit from better cycling options. And the book notes that “cycle-friendly street improvements can be win-win scenarios for all modes of transportation.” As councillor I would support street design that works well for users of all transportation types.

Also, please join me and other residents of ward 9 this Saturday Aug 25th at 10am at Cherry Park for a City of Kitchener Workshop on Wheels. More info here.

The issue of low voter turnout is often raised during election campaigns. This is very common during federal elections where voter turnout has hovered around 60% for over a decade.

However, there is much less attention paid to low voter turnout in municipal elections, which hovers around only 25%! Too few citizens exercise their right to vote in elections that affect many aspects of citizens’ daily lives. Though local issues can seem mundane compared to national and international issues, they affect our homes and neighbourhoods and shape our regular routines in many ways. So it’s important that more citizens voice their choice for the representatives who will make critical local decisions over the next four years.
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What can be done to get more people to the polls on October 22? It’s certainly a complicated issue with no simple solution. However, we can start by getting informed about where and when to vote. I’ve posted much of this general information on my website under “Voting”.
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You can also find out your specific voting information. Go to voterlookup.ca and enter some basic information to ensure you are registered for this fall’s election. Doing this soon means you will receive a voter card in the mail with your exact election day voting location. Simply being informed about how to vote encourages people to cast their ballot.

Citizen engagement is a key part of my election platform. I hope engagement continues between elections, but getting out and having your say on election day is a key step. And there’s reason to be optimistic we can improve voter turnout: the rate increased significantly in both the last federal election and the recent provincial election. Let’s work to see that trend continue in this fall’s municipal election.

Find out about voting, make a plan to do so, and encourage friends, family and neighbours to get out and vote this fall.