ThoroldToday will be profiling every candidate in the upcoming municipal and school board elections on Oct. 24. Up next: James Symons.
Through his work with Tool Box Niagara, 42-year-old James Symons has been looking after Thorold’s most vulnerable for years. Now, he's looking to create change on a bigger scale.
“It’s always been my passion to care for the city, to be involved,” Symons says in an interview with ThoroldToday. “You can take the boy out of Thorold but you can’t take Thorold out of the boy. It’s a proud little community, it’s unique. I’m Thorold proud.”
Symons says he was inspired to run because of his grandfather.
“My grandpa was very involved with politics,” he says. “One of the rules of Christmas was that you don’t discuss politics with grandpa because you’d be talking to grandpa for two hours about the same thing.”
This is the second time Symons will be vying for a seat on Thorold City Council.
“The last time I put others first,” Symons says. “There’s nothing wrong with that. However, I was campaigning for other individuals and I didn’t do my own campaigning. I was not prepared. This time I sat on the TCAG board, I sat on two committees. I got more involved. I looked at my mistakes and I corrected them.”
If Symons gets elected there are many different things he would like to accomplish.
“I would like to see more festivals, more events,” he says. “I’d like to see a walk-in clinic. We got a growing city and no walk-in clinics. We need housing for seniors. We need housing for those that are vulnerable, that are experiencing poverty. Inflation has put the market way high.”
Another project on his agenda is to make sure that Thorold isn’t forgotten when it comes to public transit.
“The regional transit is now amalgamated,” Symons says. “I want to make sure that Thorold is not experiencing cuts during this amalgamated system.”
To campaign Symons wants to make himself available to as many residents as possible.
“I’m going to be doing signs, brochures,” says Symons. ”I’m excited, I’m ready. My Facebook page is up and going. I’m hoping to knock on doors and attend community events—just be out there. If anyone wants to speak through email, through Facebook, through phone, I’m available.”
For the last two weeks Symons volunteered at the Canada Summer Games and he says he loved every minute of it.
"I was given my time for what I did for the community," Symons says. "I was able to carry the torch for Thorold. I was able to walk in Team Alberta. I was a supervisor for two weeks. It was just an opportunity I will never forget. I got to meet people from all over the country. I felt like Thorold paid tribute to me and I want to thank my city. I really appreciate it."
Symons says his fundraising efforts in Thorold make him uniquely qualified to be a city councillor
“I’ve been involved with various organizations,” he says. “I oversee the Tool Box [Niagara] at Christmas and deliver care packages to the most vulnerable. I’m aware of people needing stuff. I am aware of the increase in vulnerable population, people in poverty.”
If elected, Symons hopes to bring a positive change to Thorold.
“I feel like I can do things for the city that have not been done,” Symons says. “I feel like we need to move forward and I feel I can move the city forward.”
