Promises Made, Promises Kept

By Mayor William Steinberg
Special to The Suburban

In 2005, when I ran for Mayor, I promised that I would work with the same energy and determination to rebuild Hampstead as I did to get the town demerged.

During my campaign I made 12 major promises. Not only has every single promise been kept but I have gone well beyond those promises.

The first promise was to fix our infrastructure. Almost 40 percent of our roads have been repaved. Water main breaks have been cut in half and flooding caused by overflowing sewers has been cut by over 90 percent. Moreover, this year and next, about $2,000,000 in grants will be spent on water mains. In the next mandate, the priorities will be sidewalks, street lights and roads.

The second promise was to be fiscally responsible. Tax increases have dropped each year and in 2009, 96 percent of residents enjoyed an average tax DECREASE of one percent. At the same time, our surplus climbed five-fold from $300,000 to over $1,500,000.

What has been accomplished in a mere four years is truly exceptional. We have doubled the number of events for kids, doubled enrollment in our day camp and improved five of our nine parks. Our tennis and pool facilities have been improved. We built one of the finest dog runs on the island and it makes the town an annual profit.

Many areas have been beautified, including Fleet and the Finchley Circle. More traffic calming has been implemented than ever before and the result is a 25 percent decrease in accidents with injuries. Police are in town more and crime is down, while tickets for moving violations are up 35 percent. In the next mandate, there will be additional traffic calming, beautification of the town will continue and composting will be introduced.

To read more about what I have accomplished and what I plan to do in the next mandate please visit my web site, billsteinberg.ca.

It has been an honor to be your Mayor and I have been working at least 60 hours per week doing a job that I love. I respond to every e-mail, letter and phone call promptly. Every decision that I have made has been with the best interests of the town in mind. If you appreciate what I have accomplished over this past mandate and want me to continue in this direction, I need your help, your trust, your support, and your vote of confidence.