• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Skater hopes to carve out political path

By
In Barrie
Sep 8th, 2010
0 Comments
1576 Views

Jennifer Robinson enters race for Ward 8 councillor
By IAN MCINROY BARRIE EXAMINER – September 7, 2010
Jennifer Robinson has thrown her hat into the political ring and is running for councillor in the upcoming municipal election.
The six-time Canadian women’s figure skating champion announced Tuesday she’ll be seeking the Ward 8 seat on city council. To date, two other candidates — Don MacNeil and John Webb — are running in the ward. Jerry Moore, who has held the seat for two terms, is not seeking re-election.
Robinson, 33, said she isn’t wasting any time garnering support and will begin knocking on doors Wednesday night.
“I thought it was a nice time in my life to get involved more and to get the community involved,” she said, prior to hitting the ice at the Allandale Recreation Centre, where she is a figure skating instructor with the Mariposa School of Skating. “It’s important to get more people talking to their neighbours and see what is affecting their lives.”
If elected, she says she’d like to instill a sense of pride and teamwork in her constituents to get things done.
She is taking a sabbatical from her on-camera work with Rogers TV, where she was co-host of the general news and lifestyle show Daytime, and over the summer, worked on the Celebrate the County series. She finished her final show last week.
She said her work at Rogers has been a good warmup for Robinson’s run at politics.
“It did help me learn to listen and it’s helped me learn what (message) people are trying to get across,” she said. “I’m a note taker and it’s important for people to know that you’re a good listener.”
And some of the lessons Robinson has learned from her skating career will also help get her that seat on council, she added.
“I’ve learned there are setbacks you have to overcome,” she said. “You have to put yourself out there. If you hold back in the least, then success is not achieved.”
Working with people and knowing their concerns is important, Robinson said.
“I want to get them excited about things we can do together. The more you take small steps together, the (easier) it is to realize your goals,” she said, adding, “There is still a bit of a learning curve.
Robinson and her seven-month old daughter, Reese, along with her husband, Shane Dennis, have a house in Shanty Bay.
But she considers Barrie her home and says she has a second residence in Barrie, spending a lot of time in the city due to some personal circumstances.
“I’m in Barrie every day and stay over quite often,” she said. “For 20 years, I’ve been working and trying to achieve my dreams in Ward 8. I’m a proud product of the ward.”
Robinson said, over the years, different politicians have approached her to run for council.
“It was something I’ve always been interested in and I’m committing all of my time to this bid,” she said. “This skating coaching job is very flexible. I can focus on my family and my campaign for Ward 8 councillor.”
Residents in the ward have the same concerns she does, Robinson added.
“There are some policing issues. I’d like to see more safe situations in our parks,” she said. “Ward 8 is getting busier and busier and speeding is a big concern for a lot of parents.”
Municipal candidates must reside in the municipality, or be an owner or tenant (or be the spouse of an owner or tenant) of land in the City of Barrie.
Nomination papers will be reviewed by the city clerk before Monday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m.
If the clerk is not satisfied with the nomination, additional information may be sought and the nomination papers may or may not be rejected, according to city clerk Dawn McAlpine.

Leave a Reply

Commenters must post under real names. AWARE Simcoe reserves the right to edit or not publish comments. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *