LONGTIME MAYOR JEFF LEHMAN RUNNING IN BSOM

LEHMAN REPRESENTS LIBERAL PARTY IN RIDING

CANDIDATE NAME: Jeff Lehman

RIDING: Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte

PARTY: Ontario Liberal party

AGE: 46

OCCUPATION: Mayor of Barrie

Barrie

RESIDES IN:

PAST POLITICAL EXPERIENCE:

I've been mayor of Barrie since 2010 and was city councillor for Ward 2 from 2006-2010. I've twice been chair of Ontario's Big City Mayor's caucus, representing Ontario's largest municipalities to the provincial and federal governments. For 20 years before city council, I was active with the Liberal party.

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE THE PROVINCE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE AND WHY?: Grade — D. While early on, the government listened to science and acted quickly, time and again throughout the pandemic the government chose the easy route, at the expense of public health. The premier and MPPs were missing in action when people needed leadership. Late decisions to close businesses and schools caused chaos and hurt the economy. Refusing to provide paid sick days and provide widespread testing made things worse.

IF ELECTED, I PLEDGE TO ...: Be an MPP for all of us, not just for a political base. I pledge to bring the same love for my community, commitment to innovation and the depth of experience that I've brought to municipal politics for 16 years.