my vision for cambridge:
a confident future for our city
Cambridge should face its future with confidence. We can welcome new residents, new housing, businesses and investment while strengthening established neighbourhoods and building the infrastructure a growing city requires.
Our history should be a foundation for Cambridge’s future, not a boundary around it.
Our history should be a foundation for Cambridge’s future, not a boundary around it.
A Connected Cambridge
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A Prosperous Cambridge
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A Welcoming Cambridge
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A Cambridge of Strong Neighbourhoods
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Plan for tomorrow. Get the basics right today.
THREE PRIORITIES FOR WARD 7 AND CAMBRIDGE
- Municipal government can't solve every problem.
- It should concentrate on the things it is responsible for and do them well.
- My priorities are straightforward:
- Get the basics right,
- Manage growth responsibly, and
- Make sure taxpayers receive value for their money.
Priority #1: Get the Basics Right
Big decisions matter, but so do the everyday services residents count on. Timely snow removal, well-maintained roads and sidewalks, practical responses to parking and traffic concerns, clean public spaces and responsive City services are fundamental to a well-run city.
Big decisions matter, but so do the everyday services residents count on. Timely snow removal, well-maintained roads and sidewalks, practical responses to parking and traffic concerns, clean public spaces and responsive City services are fundamental to a well-run city.
Safe, Well-Maintained Neighbourhoods
Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes, on their streets and in their parks. That requires responsive policing and bylaw enforcement, safer roads, reliable City services and practical action on recurring neighbourhood problems.
Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes, on their streets and in their parks. That requires responsive policing and bylaw enforcement, safer roads, reliable City services and practical action on recurring neighbourhood problems.
Getting the basics right matters:
- Timely snow and ice removal
- Road, pothole, and sidewalk maintenance
- Practical solutions to neighbourhood parking problems
- Traffic signs, streetlights, and pedestrian safety
- Clean and well-maintained parks and public spaces
- Responsive bylaw and City service requests
Safe Neighbourhoods Require Practical Action:
- Responsive policing and bylaw enforcement
- Firm action on criminal behaviour and property damage
- Realistic pathways to shelter, treatment and stability
- Safer roads near schools, parks and neighbourhoods
Safer Streets Along the McQueen Shaver Corridor
- Speeding, aggressive driving and vehicle noise along McQueen Shaver and Franklin require coordinated action by the City, Region and Waterloo Regional Police. Enforcement matters, but safer road design and traffic management must also be part of the solution.
- Read more on David's blog
Practical Experience, Not Simple Answers
Through my work helping launch the overnight warming centre at Wesley United Church, I have seen the realities of homelessness, addiction and mental illness firsthand. Public spaces must remain safe, criminal behaviour must be addressed and people in crisis must have realistic pathways to shelter, treatment and stability.
Through my work helping launch the overnight warming centre at Wesley United Church, I have seen the realities of homelessness, addiction and mental illness firsthand. Public spaces must remain safe, criminal behaviour must be addressed and people in crisis must have realistic pathways to shelter, treatment and stability.
Priority #2: Grow the Right Way
Cambridge needs more housing, jobs and investment, but growth has to be planned well. I support responsible development and a range of housing options. Growth works best when new neighbourhoods connect with existing communities and are supported by roads, parks, schools, recreation, transit and nearby services.
Cambridge needs more housing, jobs and investment, but growth has to be planned well. I support responsible development and a range of housing options. Growth works best when new neighbourhoods connect with existing communities and are supported by roads, parks, schools, recreation, transit and nearby services.
Responsible Growth Means:
- Work constructively with responsible developers
- Support a range of housing options
- Promote efficient and predictable approvals
- Ensure infrastructure keeps pace with development
- Protect appropriate transitions to existing neighbourhoods
- Support nearby shops, services and employment
- Coordinate planning for parks, schools, recreation and transit
- Consider the long-term financial impact of growth
Infrastructure Has to Keep Up
- McQueen Shaver Boulevard shows why infrastructure planning matters.
- New homes, schools and the Cambridge Recreation Complex are moving ahead while important transportation connections remain years away.
- I will press the Region for a clear timeline and better coordination while supporting practical measures to address truck traffic, noise and road safety.
- Growing the right way means building for tomorrow while protecting neighbourhoods today.
Better Connections:
A growing city needs the transportation and infrastructure that allow residents, businesses and neighbourhoods to thrive:
A growing city needs the transportation and infrastructure that allow residents, businesses and neighbourhoods to thrive:
- Improved roads and intersections
- Reliable public transit and future rapid-transit connections
- Safe walking and cycling routes
- Better connections between neighbourhoods, jobs and services
- Modern digital and electrical infrastructure
Getting Governments Working Together
- Residents should not have to navigate municipal jurisdictions to have their concerns addressed. McQueen Shaver is a Regional road, policing is Regional and nearby growth and recreation investments involve the City. Residents experience them as one issue.
- Cambridge Council cannot order a Regional road built, but it can advocate, coordinate and push for aligned timelines and clear accountability.
Jobs and Investment
Cambridge should be a place where entrepreneurs can start businesses, existing employers can expand and new industries can invest with confidence. That requires predictable processes, serviced employment lands, modern infrastructure and a City Hall that welcomes responsible investment.
Supporting Jobs and Investment Means:
Cambridge should be a place where entrepreneurs can start businesses, existing employers can expand and new industries can invest with confidence. That requires predictable processes, serviced employment lands, modern infrastructure and a City Hall that welcomes responsible investment.
Supporting Jobs and Investment Means:
- Faster and more predictable approvals
- Serviced employment lands and reliable infrastructure
- Support for small businesses and existing employers
- Targeted attraction of future-focused industries
- Stronger connections between employers, schools and Conestoga College
- A dedicated City contact for major employers and investors
Priority #3: Deliver Value for Tax Dollars
Residents should be able to see value for the taxes they pay. Every tax dollar should be treated with care. That means setting clear priorities, protecting essential services, planning for long-term infrastructure costs and reporting results transparently.
Delivering Value Means:
Residents should be able to see value for the taxes they pay. Every tax dollar should be treated with care. That means setting clear priorities, protecting essential services, planning for long-term infrastructure costs and reporting results transparently.
Delivering Value Means:
- Regular reviews to improve services and identify savings
- Clear reporting on project budgets, timelines and overruns
- Competitive and transparent procurement
- Responsible use of reserves and debt
- Capital planning that includes maintenance and lifecycle costs
- Economic growth that expands the commercial and industrial tax base
Experience behind the commitment
As a school board trustee, I helped oversee an annual budget of approximately $440 million, four balanced budgets and major capital projects. I understand the trade-offs involved in protecting services while planning responsibly for the future.
As a school board trustee, I helped oversee an annual budget of approximately $440 million, four balanced budgets and major capital projects. I understand the trade-offs involved in protecting services while planning responsibly for the future.
A Practical Approach to Affordability:
The City cannot control grocery prices or inflation, but it can make choices that keep municipal costs manageable and improve daily life.
The City cannot control grocery prices or inflation, but it can make choices that keep municipal costs manageable and improve daily life.
- Fair property taxes and value for every dollar
- Efficient and reliable City services
- A stronger commercial and industrial tax base to help share the cost of municipal services
WHAT THESE PRIORITIES CAN LOOK LIKE IN WARD 7
Making the Wesley Boulevard Campus a Community Hub
The recreation complex, library, schools and childcare facilities on Wesley Boulevard create an extraordinary opportunity for Ward 7. I will advocate for safe access, coordinated programming, strong partnerships and responsible long-term stewardship.
The recreation complex, library, schools and childcare facilities on Wesley Boulevard create an extraordinary opportunity for Ward 7. I will advocate for safe access, coordinated programming, strong partnerships and responsible long-term stewardship.
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why vote for david?✓ Ward 7 neighbour and longtime Cambridge resident
✓ Elected governance and public-budget experience ✓ Proven business and community leadership ✓ Practical, experienced leadership focused on results |
