By: Surjit Singh Flora
It takes a strong leader who is a man of his or her word rather than just a man of words.
And who has a vision, inspiration, strategic and critical thinking, interpersonal communication, authenticity and self-awareness, open-mindedness and creativity, flexibility, responsibility and dependability.
There is both a local and global context to the mayor’s job. The local context is a public transit system failing in its core mission; policing that doesn’t serve diverse populations or neighbourhoods worried about basic safety; a broken leadership system at city hall ; social services and affordable housing shortfalls; and a council riven by conflict.
We understand why the incumbents wouldn’t want to answer questions about the Brampton taxpayers’ money wasted on event security and their personal desire to be the federal CPC leader. Our democracy is under siege, and Democrats should be doing everything possible to ensure it remains vibrant, including campaigning. The pandemic has been unprecedented, but Democrats have been able to focus on multiple issues at once, such as supporting the underserved in our community, Black lives matter, reopening our local businesses, and yes, politics. Instead of supporting local candidates, our incumbent Mayor, Patrick Brown, campaigned across Canada, asking Canadians to vote for and support him as CPC leader. So, the mayor, as the head of the city, not only left citizens and businesspeople alone but also used taxpayers’ money to promote his own campaign.
So, we need a person like Nikki Kaur with vision and courage, who will own her decisions rather than rely on audits. Our local economy is on a precipice. Nikki Kaur may not have a lot of experience, but as a successful business owner, she will work with our beautiful city’s council members to help it recover and move forward.
She has proven that she is undaunted by tough challenges by standing up to Mayor Brown to face them head-on, not run away. During the campaign, Nikki Kaur showed that she was determined, calm under pressure, funny, and most of all, able to make good decisions.
Nikki Kaur will offer a fresh voice to enrich the Brampton Council with new ideas that are grounded in the long-standing principles we value, such as education; smart planning for our community to maintain it’s unique character that we cherish; and support for a vibrant central business district that serves our Bramptonians’ needs.
Moreover, we believe that Nikki Kaur’s track record has clearly demonstrated a commitment to collaborative dialogue, timely involvement, and pragmatic action that will prove invaluable to addressing the challenges that lie ahead for our community. Nikki Kaur is a doer, a people person, and not afraid to try new things . Nikki Kaur’s candor, creativity, and resourcefulness will ensure that the difficult decisions to come will be tested through transparent and thoughtful debate. In short, we are sure that Nikki Kaur’s service and dedication to the Brampton Council will help give our community the leadership it needs to deal with the changing times. This is something our city of Brampton has been missing for the last four years.
I personally encourage Bramptonians to support and vote for Nikki Kaur on October 24, who is a humble person with a bright vision for our beautiful flower city, Brampton, an inspiration to the young and the elderly, no matter their religion, culture, colour, or race. Interpersonal Communication…. Authenticity and Self-Awareness. Open-Mindedness and Creativity, Flexibility, Responsibility, and Dependability.
Vote for Nikki Kaur while enjoying Diwali sweets and an environment-free and safe Diwali.
Surjit Singh Flora is a veteran journalist and freelance writer based in Brampton Canada
