Drew Dilkens feature

By Ryan Brough

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Continue to move the city forward or go back to the 1980s when Mr. Millson was mayor?”

Drew Dilkens was born in Windsor in 1972. In Grade 9 at Massey High School, he ran for class president and never looked back. Dilkens was also a member of the swim team through high school, which is where his passion for the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre was born. Dilkens eventually became the Chair of the Committee that oversaw development and construction of the swimming and diving complex.

When Dilkens was younger, he remembers helping his uncle, Marty Goldberg, who later became the councillor of Ward 1, the same ward Dilkens currently serves.

“I remember helping him in the 1980s. Handing out brochures and going door to door and you kind of catch a bug. I caught the bug when I was young and here I am,” says Dilkens. He has been the Ward 1 city councillor for the last eight years and is now running for mayor.

Drew has a long list of community involvement, having been a part of more than 15 different groups and organizations, including the Windsor Police Auxiliary, where he was a staff sergeant.

One of the common concerns being brought up during this election is regional transit. There still isn’t a bus that can get residents from Lasalle to Essex. With places in the county like Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens and Point Pelee National Park, there are many places people can’t reach by using public transit. Dilkens insists he is all for regional transit.

“I’m a regional thinker, in 2008 I stood up at city council and said let’s have a discussion related to regional government,” said Dilkens. Since then, there have been no plans moved forward regional transit. In fact, since then, the Town of Tecumseh has developed their own transit system.

Only about 42 per cent of voters cast a ballot in the last mayoral election. Drew talked about being discouraged when going door-to-door.

“It can be tiring as a candidate when you’re knocking on doors and you spend hours visiting people knowing that in at least one in two homes people aren’t going to vote anyway,” said Dilkens.

As the election is less than a month away, some factors indicate the race between Millson and Dilkens is neck and neck. But no matter how close they are in the rankings, Dilkens’ confidence stands strong.

“This election is a clear choice. We’ve come too far as a city to go backwards at this point.”