Shapton In The Running

Wednesday, 6 August 2014 05:45

Lifelong Oxford County resident and local business owner, Shawn Shapton files for City Council

WOODSTOCK -- Local business owner, Shawn Shapton feels it's time for some new voices at City Council and he hopes his voice is one of those.

The lifelong Oxford County resident says there are many reasons why he has filed - having a young family, a passion for politics and owning a business are just part of the equation.

Shapton says one of the issues council needs to recognize is the growth and needs of Woodstock. "There's so much growth in the city of Woodstock, our boundaries seem to be pushed in every direction both with the new residential homes and of course lots of exciting new businesses coming to the town. I want to make sure that we have the proper services to match up with the growth, so for example making sure our first responders can reach those far reaching boundaries and we can get there in an appropriate time to ensure the safety of the residents of Woodstock."

Shapton, owner of Integra Document Destruction feels financial responsibilities is key and acknowledges that taxation rates in Woodstock are not cheap. He wants to ensure that the level of service matches up to what residents and businesses are paying.

The sale of Woodstock Hydro and making sure residents know the step by step process, the impact it could potentially have on residents and businesses in the city is also a top concern of Shapton's for the next term, as well as more collaboration between City Council, city staff and the residents. "Not just at election time, four years is a long term and we need to make sure our focus changes with the needs of the residents and businesses of course in the city. It seems there's a huge amount of money spent on consultants for various projects and I think perhaps just engaging the city staff through City Council and of course the residents and business owners in the city could lessen that expense in a huge way."

Shapton says his passion for politics dates back to when he was in high school and says he has followed it very closely for a number of years. As a husband and father to two children, Shapton hopes he can be the voice for other young families and business owners on council.