Readers should be aware that the ballot package that was sent out is missing website information for several candidates running in the council election. My blog link was among those missing, even though it was submitted along with my other nomination materials.

I encourage everyone to visit the GPC council election web page to get accurate information for each candidate before voting. Links for all candidates are on my sidebar.

In addition, the last paragraph of my 120-word statement (which also included my blog link) was not included in the package. Clink the link if you would like to see the full 120-word statement as it was intended.

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I've completed a statement of objectives outlining the goals I'd like to accomplish if I'm elected to the Party Chair position. Click the link for an online version or download the attached document for a formatted version.

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I have created and attached a spreadsheet that contains a high-level summary of the work that I believe needs to get done by the party over the next few years.  The analysis and priorities in the document are my own and my opinions may or may not be shared by other councillors and members.  Some of the work is based on work I did with council to establish a "Council Operations Group" that would help to better identify and prioritize the work council needed to do.

If you've read the Statement of Objectives I've published as part of my campaign for GPC Chair then you will see some overlap between the two documents.  I've tried to pull what I believe are some of the highest priority tasks in the spreadsheet into the objectives document in order to present the information in a more digestible way.  Also, there is certainly too much work identified in the spreadsheet to accomplish in a single one-year term.  But I think the two documents complement each other if you are trying to understand at a practical level how I work and how I will accomplish some of the "tracking" activities in the objectives document

Note that the spreadsheet is a working document that I am planning to keep updated as time permits.  Certainly circumstances in the party will change over time, which means that some of the information will become obsolete, priorities will change, some of the tasks will be (hopefully) completed, and so on.  Please send me an email if you notice anything that you think needs to be updated.

UPDATE:  A new spreadsheet with minor changes was uploaded on July 6.  Also, the detailed background information was removed from this post to make the document easier to find.  The background information is still available in the spreadsheet itself.

I'm pleased to announce my candidacy for the GPC Party Chair council position.

We have taken great strides in recent years and I believe I am well-qualified to help council and the party maintain this momentum.  I want to help improve our strategic planning process and strengthen our internal infrastructure in the short term.  This will allow us to develop a more robust national organization - including more comprehensive policy and large increases in membership - in the long term.  If you've read my Simple-5 essay of GPC roadmaps these themes should all sound familiar!

I am currently writing a set of more specific objectives that I will work to accomplish during the term, should I be elected.  I will publish them here when they are complete - please watch this blog for more details.

I am looking forward to the internal election and want to wish the best of luck to our Leadership candidates and all other contestants for council positions.  Together we can help the party win Parliament.

UPDATE:  My objectives as Chair and other information will be posted to the blog by Monday, June 26.  UPDATE #2:  Everything is published and is accessible on the sidebar.  Please email me if you have any comments.

One thing I'd like to do with this blog is to start to address ways that we can work to improve our internal culture. Like any political party we have our internal differences but I think we need to look for ways to conduct our internal communications in a way that builds respect for the work and opinions of others in the party. Over time I think a positive and welcoming internal culture will help us work effectively with other parties and will, at some level, come across in a way that resonates positively with voters.

About a year ago when there were some internal flare-ups I wrote an article addressing how concerns were being raised by some critics of council. I wanted councillors and members to consider taking a step back to try to analyze how successful we were, how we make decisions, how we interact with each other, etc. I think things are improving (elections help to bring us together) but I thought some of my earlier thoughts are still relevant and would be of interest to readers. I hope the questions and answers in this article help to raise awareness about how we can try to work effectively together - there is always room for improvement.

Click the "more" link for details ...
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As part of my roadmap essay you will see I prepared a membership chart for the party. (It is called that instead of an "organization chart" since the lines don't necessary represent direct accountability or reporting as is typically the case in an organization chart.) I have made a motion to council to post this chart and explanatory text to the GPC members website. Click the "more" link or download the attached file for the details.
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