Cutting red tape on housing and development — As Chair of the Planning and Environment Committee, Steve has pushed to speed up approvals and remove unnecessary layers of review so homes and businesses can get built faster in Ward 8 and across London. This has been recognized by the Federal Government in being the first city in Canada to receive funding from the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund. London just surpassed its housing target needed to receive final payout of $82 million dollars in funding to offset property tax funded city costs such as infrastructure, office to residential conversions etc.

Responsible city spending — Steve is known as one of the most frugal members of Council. He believes tax dollars should fund core services, not duplicate programs, and has pushed to scale back city spending that isn't delivering clear value for residents. With affordability a top concern, city services have to be delivered in the most efficient way possible to keep property tax increases in line with inflation.

Safer neighbourhoods — Through his seat on the London Police Services Board, Steve supports a well-resourced police service and community safety initiatives that keep Ward 8 neighbourhoods safe. During his term on the Police Board, a new chief has been hired, 96 officers have been hired, 911 call response times been significantly reduced, the London’s Crime Severity Index has seen the best improvement in Canada and traffic fatalities have been halved with increased traffic law enforcement. Public safety will continue to be Steve’s priority.

Homelessness – With council Steve has supported many initiatives to address the homelessness in London. 1500 people have been moved from living in the streets to various affordable and assisted housing. For the first time in 2 decades more units have been added to London Middlesex Housing. London has opened 2 of our own highly supportive hubs as well as being the first to have one of the Provincial Heart Hubs. London has also partnered with such non profit supportive housing providers such as Indwell. There is much work still to be done. The root of many issues we see are mental health and addiction. Steve believes we need to work with the province to get a rehab centre built to provide the professional medical help to move people suffering from a 24 hour cycle of misery to a long term path off the street.

Traffic Congestion, Reliable Transit, Infrastructure — London has experienced incredible growth over the last 5 years. This quick growth has led to many challenges. One of them is how we move through the city with the necessary infrastructure projects. We must do better managing construction and road closures. I am currently working with Deputy Mayor Lewis on an initiative to extend construction hours on major arterial roads not near residential so crews can work until 11 pm and on Saturdays. We have met with the industry and they believe this can be done with efficiencies offsetting any extra costs, allowing road closure length to be dramatically reduced.

Read CTV News' coverage of this announcement

Supporting seniors and vulnerable residents — As Vice Chair of the Dearness Home Committee of Management, Steve has been a strong advocate for the City's long-term care home and the seniors who depend on it.