As Thanksgiving approaches, I’ve been thinking about how much there is to be grateful for right here in our community.

In Ward 7, I’m grateful to see new investments taking shape, including the recreation centre and community hub that will give families and neighbours another place to gather, connect and build community.

But more than anything, I’m grateful for the people.

We hear a lot these days about how divided people have become, particularly when it comes to politics. Some of that division is real. But it isn’t the whole story.

Every day, people in our community volunteer, coach, organize events, support local causes, help neighbours and simply show up for one another. Most of those moments never make the news.

That is the Cambridge I know.

We may not always agree on politics or on the best way to solve every problem. But we share a community. We want our kids and grandchildren to have opportunities. We want our neighbourhoods to be safe and welcoming. And when people need one another, we still find ways to come together.

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for my family, for nearly 30 years of calling Cambridge home, and for the people who make this such a good place to live.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

It’s easy during an election campaign to talk about big ideas.

Growth. Housing. Economic development. Transit. Revitalization. The future of Cambridge.

Those conversations matter. I’ve talked a lot about them during this campaign, because Cambridge is changing quickly and the decisions we make now will shape our city for decades.

But I also believe something much simpler:

A bigger vision for Cambridge starts with getting the basics right:

For most residents, their experience of municipal government isn’t a strategic plan or a council agenda.

• It’s the road they drive on every morning.
• It’s whether the sidewalk is cleared in winter.
• It’s the condition of the neighbourhood park.
• It’s whether speeding on their street is taken seriously.
• It’s whether garbage is picked up, potholes are repaired, trees are maintained and construction projects are coordinated properly.

These things may not sound exciting.
But they matter enormously.

The everyday things shape how we feel about our city:

When municipal services work well, most of us barely notice them.
That’s actually the point.

• You turn on the tap and clean water comes out.
• You drive to work without spending your entire commute dodging potholes.
• You take your kids or grandchildren to a park that is safe and well maintained.
• You can walk through your neighbourhood on sidewalks that are accessible and in good condition.

These services create something important: confidence.

• Confidence that your city is being managed well.
• Confidence that tax dollars are being used carefully.
• Confidence that when Cambridge takes on bigger projects, it can actually deliver them.

And when the basics aren’t working, residents notice very quickly.

Growth makes the basics even more important:

Ward 7 is one of the fastest-growing parts of Cambridge.

New homes are being built. New families are arriving. New neighbourhoods are taking shape.

That growth creates opportunity, but it also creates pressure.

• More vehicles on the road.
• More demand on parks, recreation facilities and public services.
• More strain on intersections and transportation corridors.
• More pressure to make sure infrastructure keeps pace.

That’s why growth can’t simply mean approving more development and hoping everything else catches up later.

We need to plan ahead.

Roads, sidewalks, parks, recreation, transit and other services need to grow alongside our neighbourhoods.

Residents should be able to see that growth is improving our city, not simply adding pressure to systems that are already stretched.

Good government is often about execution:

There will always be big policy debates at City Hall.
There should be.

But municipal government is also about something less glamorous: execution.

• Setting priorities.
• Maintaining infrastructure.
• Coordinating projects.
• Responding to residents.
• Measuring results.
• Following through.

Those are the kinds of things I have spent much of my career doing — in business, community organizations and public service.

Good ideas matter.
But implementation matters just as much.

Getting the basics right doesn’t mean thinking small:

In fact, I believe the opposite.

A city that manages its core responsibilities well is better positioned to pursue bigger opportunities.

• A stronger local economy.
• More attainable housing.
• Better transportation connections.
• A vibrant downtown.
• Well-planned neighbourhood growth.
• More investment and good jobs.
• A city that people are proud to call home.

But ambitious plans work best when they are built on a strong foundation.
​
That foundation is reliable services, well-maintained infrastructure, responsible spending and a municipal government that residents can trust to deliver.

Practical leadership matters:

One of my three priorities in this campaign has been simple:

Get the Basics Right.

• That means safer streets.
• Well-maintained roads and sidewalks.
• Strong parks and neighbourhoods.
• Reliable municipal services.
• And a City Hall focused on delivering results.

It may not be the flashiest campaign promise.
But I think it is one of the most important.

Because before we talk about everything Cambridge might become, we need to make sure we are doing a good job taking care of the city we already have.

​And from that strong foundation, we can build something even better.

One thing I had hoped this election would bring was a real discussion about the future of Cambridge and Ward 7. 

​And there have been some excellent opportunities for that.

Over the past several weeks, local organizations and media have created town halls, candidate interviews, questionnaires, voter guides and issue surveys designed to help residents hear directly from the people asking for their vote.

I have tried to take part whenever I can.

Some of those opportunities have been straightforward. Others have involved long questionnaires, difficult trade-offs or questions where a simple yes-or-no answer did not really capture my view.

Over the past several months, I’ve spent a lot of time knocking on doors across Ward 7.
It has been one of the best parts of this campaign.

Most conversations are not long. People are busy. They are getting dinner ready, heading out, looking after kids, walking the dog or just trying to enjoy the end of the day.

But when I ask what they like about their neighbourhood, what frustrates them, or what they would like City Hall to pay more attention to, people are usually very willing to share.

And after hundreds of conversations, some clear themes keep coming up.

David Guerin responses to the CBC K-W's candidate survey, submitted on Oct. 5, 2026:

Briefly describe what your top 3 priorities are in this election.

1. Get the Basics Right
2. Grow the Right Way
3. Deliver Value for Tax Dollars​

Explain how you would address priority #1

• I would start by focusing attention and resources on the everyday services residents rely on most, including: reliable municipal services, safer streets, well-maintained roads, sidewalks, parks and neighbourhoods.​

David Guerin responded to the survey from the African Caribbean Black (ACB) Network Waterloo Region on Sept 22, 2026.

1. Municipal governments play an important role in advancing equity and reconciliation. What concrete actions would you prioritize over the next four years to reduce inequities experienced by Black communities and Indigenous Peoples in our municipality, and how would you measure whether those actions are making a difference?

• I would start by building on the work already underway while making sure it produces tangible results.
• That means meaningful engagement with Black and Indigenous residents and organizations when policies or services affect them; continuing the City's work toward reconciliation and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action that apply to municipalities; identifying barriers in municipal programs, employment, procurement and public spaces; and ensuring City services are accessible and welcoming.

Thank you to everyone who came out in person and all those who bought a ticket in support of our Trivia & Pizza Night Fundraiser on September 16th at Boston Pizza in Cambridge. It was a huge success! We had a lot of fun and raised some funds for the campaign. Thank you to Stephanie Soulis of Little Mushroom Catering who served as our Trivia Maven, to the hard-working team at Boston Pizza, and to Noah Guerin who created most of the brain-stretching questions for us.

On September 9, I joined fellow candidates Manuel da Silva and Dani Ieso for the Cambridge Elects Ward 7 Town Hall at Forward Church. Tasneem Chhadiya and John Teat were not in attendance.  The moderator was Marjorie Knight, the Chair and Founder of Rhythm & Blues Cambridge.

​The format was a good challenge: candidates had just one minute per response, and the discussion topics were ranked by residents themselves. We covered a lot of ground, including homelessness, taxes, housing, traffic, growth, transit, jobs, community safety, recreation, the environment, active transportation and accessibility. If you weren't able to watch the Town Hall, here are a few excerpts from my responses: