HaltonHillsToday is profiling every candidate in the upcoming municipal election. Up next - candidates running for Ward 3 (north Georgetown).
Downtown Georgetown businessman and Ward 3 candidate Drew Pullman wants to tighten up the social fabric of Halton Hills. He hopes to do this by supporting small businesses, planning for smart growth and building community spirit.
“I hope to be a voice for both small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large businesses,” Pullman said.
He said he would like to be a guiding hand to the owners of smaller enterprises by “helping them get established here and making sure that the town is as supportive of that as possible.”
He believes that creating a strong business sector in town leads to a large spillover of benefits to the community as a whole.
“Because when you have businesses that are based in town, you have a whole ecosystem that's built around them. So lawyers, accountants, creative firms, other supporting businesses."
Managing provincially-mandated growth targets is on the list as well. He wants “smart growth” that uses the zoning and property standard authority granted to the municipality to ensure new builds are high quality, environmentally resilient, and have the right mix of density and open space.
“We need more and more dense construction, but balanced with high-quality, usable open space,” he said.
The local resident would like to see more recreational spaces where families can have a picnic. Creating walking and cycling trails are part of the mix, as well as the separation of community roads from main roads.
Overall, Pullman’s vision for any given locale is that people can “really enjoy the community” in which they live.
He hopes to achieve this by keeping the municipality in a “state of good repair” - removing weeds, repairing benches, maintaining parkland grass, flower gardens, trees, etc.
“If things are maintained well, it has that kind of trickle-down effect when everything looks nice. People are going to be friendly with each other and it's going to encourage people to continue to add to the community.”
Pullman grew up in Guelph and moved to Halton Hills over 15 years ago. He is the managing director of Crosslinks, a health consulting company that works with benefit plan advisors, operating out of downtown Georgetown.
He is a member of the Downtown Georgetown BIA Beautification Committee and the Halton Hills Property Standards Committee.
