A Dedicated Community Leader in City Council (Ward 7)
I was born and raised in London where I grew up with my parents and two older sisters. My father was a local police officer, and my mother raised my sisters and me. We lived in the east end of the city before eventually moving to Masonville where my still parents reside in my childhood home. Today, I live with my wife and three children while working in the centre-west of the city.
I’m a lifelong entrepreneur who runs a handful of community wellness businesses which earned me London’s Top 20 Under 40 Honours in 2016. There are many parallels between running a community driven business and serving the city, and my skills and experience will bring sound judgment and best practices to city council.
Sensible resource allocation resulting in a prosperous community is critical to achieving our most important municipal aspirations. The richer the city, the more funds we have for essential municipal initiatives in healthcare, education, infrastructure, and city services. Not to mention the less taxation that gets placed on the shoulders of residents. Fiscal responsibility and a thriving economic system in London is the core of my platform. Economic strength gives Londoners of all ages and demographics the freedom and opportunity to thrive.
I’m an enthusiastic leader with a proven track record for successfully managing many moving parts. I attained my MBA while working full-time on my first business in Ward 7, and have since taken ongoing coursework through the Wharton School of Business and Harvard’s Professional and Lifelong Learning (PLL) program.
I want to ensure a bright future for all of our residents, both young and old, by leading council with integrity and authenticity while putting citizens first.
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Campaign donations of up to $1,200 can be securely e-transferred to contact@tommycaldwell.net
Do you have a political affiliation?
Partisan politics can be ideological and self-limiting, which is why I view it as one of the most significant issues with Provincial and Federal systems. Attaching to a party limits our ability to think and act reasonably, and in reality, our political leanings should change with each issue. When it comes to economics, I’m conservative. Fiscal responsibility is essential when the rise in the cost of living is out-paced only by the decline in the value of our dollar. When it comes to healthcare and education, I’m Liberal. Schools and Hospitals are critical to the well-being of all citizens, but we must run our institutions efficiently and with total transparency. When considering those struggling socioeconomically, you could consider me a New Democrat. Those on the lowest socioeconomic rung require support from the community, and when we better the lives of those around us, everyone’s well-being improves.
Without the flexibility to address problems on an individual basis, it is impossible to get to the best solution. Party politics act as a burden on progress and a wedge in the community. I prefer to approach each issue with a clean slate, free of preconceived notions or opinions, and do the work required to reach what is best for the citizens. We should be neighbours and Canadians first with shared concerns outside of political ideologies. If we focus more on what we have in common rather than what we have in difference, our communities will thrive.
What is your core municipal concern?
Government, by nature, devolves into wasteful, bureaucratic systems. Politics has become, or always has been, self-serving. Politicians are often more concerned with their careers and maintaining political relationships than they are with standing for the community. If there is a silver lining from 2020, it’s the spotlight that has been put on these issues.
We pour money into an inefficient system each year while getting less in return, and bureaucracy is at the core of irresponsible and unaccountable spending. We need people in public offices who will start holding the group responsible. Many of the items in the 2022-2026 approved municipal budget have already risen in cost by 25%-50% due to the rise in inflation and supply chain crisis. Fiscal responsibility, wise spending, and full economic transparency should be the top concern for city council. We can only achieve these traits by putting the community, not our careers, first. That begins with shrinking the bureaucratic nature of local politics that prevents fiscal prosperity.
Why do we need community leaders in council?
Governance works best when we elect people into office who actively serve the community in demanding ways. We don’t need more career politicians who have spent their lives dictating on boards and committees. We need leaders who have shown sacrifice and the willingness to create within the city. Many decisions made over the last few years were driven by what is politically safe by people without any skin in the local economy. When you continue to collect a paycheque regardless of the results of your decisions, the incentives are misaligned, and we are living with the result of this issue right now. We are in an economic and social crisis that isn’t recovering. The cost of living has skyrocketed while the quality of our lives and the value of our dollar drops, and 50% of our citizens are worried about the ability to afford food. Hospitals are backlogged, children are suffering record mental health disorders and developmental delays, and much of this could’ve been avoided with strong leadership. The community suffers when our leaders are worried about re-election or political popularity instead of making difficult, often unpopular decisions. What we need in office are people willing to put their heads on the chopping block if it means doing what is best for the city. You simply won’t get that with career politicians. It’s time we balance our municipalities and elect strong leaders.
Whatever we’ve been doing, it isn’t working, and I want to change that on October 24th.
What is your experience with current social issues?
Understanding the roots of addiction and homelessness is a matter where I have dedicated a significant amount of time and effort. In 2018, I participated in a year-long mentorship program under Dr.Gabor Mate to learn the roots of addiction and how to help individuals recover from the condition. Dr.Mate worked in Vancouver’s downtown lower east side (where there is the highest concentration of addicts in the world) for several decades and is the world’s leading authority on addictions counselling. His bestselling book, ‘In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts’ is what turned me onto his work and his mentorship program.
I am also a member (and chapter leader) of the FAIR organization. FAIR (the foundation against intolerance and racism) is a group of academics and community leaders who strive to take a ‘pro-human’ approach to resolve matters of racism, bigotry, and intolerance in our communities. ‘Pro-Human’ implies leveraging strategies to improve these social issues in a way that doesn’t demonize non-racialized groups or unintentionally harm those we aim to help with our proposed social interventions. The Board of FAIR is comprised of some of the most innovative and reputable professionals in this space. You can learn more about this organization at fairforall.org
Locally, I have been involved with many charitable organizations through my community businesses (like the London Hospice, Bethany’s Hope Foundation, and Growing Chefs Ontario) over the years. Currently, my food supply business donates significant amounts of locally farmed food to various shelters and foundations in need around the city each month. In the last year, we have donated over 500 LBS to local programs in need.
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Tommy Caldwell, MBA 