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I will not support any future Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZO’s) 

I haven't and don't support the use of MZOs, anywhere at any time. In fact, I spoke publicly against the province's use of them at a couple of Council meetings. Knowing that Ford government not will not stop using them, I put forward the following motion:  "THAT the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing be requested to establish policies and procedures around the use of Ministerial Zoning Orders (MZO); AND THAT as part of this process there be a requirement that any request for an MZO be considered in open session by municipal councils."  This will force any MZOs to be requested into a public meeting. Stratford integrity commissioner dismissed MZO complaints | The Stratford Beacon Herald

I will not agree to any non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that conceals important policy issues from the citizens of Stratford.

That hasn't happened and it never will. Policy is not set at in-camera meetings, so this question is misleading. I absolutely support zoning decisions being made in public - see my above motion petitioning the province to change the policy around the use of MZOs.

I will not agree to any in-camera meetings whose topics are inappropriately hidden from the public.

This is a bit of a moot point, because I don't believe this will happen. Staff has improved the reporting process based on the integrity commissioner's recommendations and currently all topics are reported in more detail than they were before 2020. Staff has adjusted the detailed reporting from reporting out to reporting in as well.

I will facilitate freedom of information requests wherever feasible.

I have and will continue to do this. It's actually the law.

I will request recorded votes on all contentious issues.

I believe we should have recorded votes on all matters, not just contentious ones. 

I will request that all staff and consultant reports be released at least seven days before any public meeting.

Yes, this is a good idea. It should be made policy though, and not left to individual requests for each public meeting.

I will promote open communication with citizens by:
Speaking clearly in public forums and council meetings in simple, easily understood language.
Explaining how meetings work, and providing any background information needed.
Asking pertinent questions during citizen deputations and presentations to be sure all points have been covered.

 

Yes. I agree these are important, and I already do these things to the best of my abilities.

Listening to my constituents before making decisions.

Yes, I already do this. It's important to acknowledge that Councillors need to listen to a wide variety people, and these individuals often have opposing viewpoints and ideas on any given issues. Listening in important, but it doesn't always mean "agreement". That would be impossible.

 

The implication with the last points (and some of the other things above) is that current councillors haven't done or advocated for these things. I would contend that some have, and some haven't. I certainly pledge to continue to do the best I can to represent Stratford citizens if I'm elected on October 24.