Meade Helman – Ward 4 candidate

By Miriam King Bradford Times September 16 2010
What many people don’t know, says Meade Helman as he sits in his Bond Head art studio, is that he has a corporate background. “I was an executive and a manager for 25 years. I understand expenditures and budgets and working as a team.”
He’s run his own business, has been a consultant to the auto industry, and “I understand a corporation,” he says. At the same time, there’s that creative streak; “A little bit of creativity at times can save you money, or find a way out of a box.”
Helman decided to run for Council after taking his Oath of Canadian Citizenship on a miserable February morning. Despite a blizzard, “78 out of 80 people showed up, from 30 different countries. It was very inspiring.” Most inspiring was the Judge’s speech, in which he described Canada as all about people working together for the common good. For an ex-patriot American, it was a revelation.
Helman drives a school bus – one form of community service – “but I needed to do more.” With the encouragement of his wife, he decided to run for Council.
Ward 4 is a challenge. “You’ve got Bond Head at one end, Bradford at one end, and farms in between. You have 3 sets of constituents, 3 sets of concerns.” But it all comes down to one issue, he says: “Liveability.”
“People, whether they live in Bond Head or in Bradford, come here for community.” They come for the small-town or rural atmosphere, he says. “I think we have to be very careful not to lose that, because it’s really easy to turn into Mississauga.”
He’s heard from 8th Line residents, worried about the impact of road-widening, and from homeowners on Professor Day Drive, complaining about the “drag-racing” that goes on.
Other key issues: Finish the trail plan “for real,” extend the sidewalks, revitalize downtown Bradford, preserve the old Bradford Arena and its recreational facilities – and provide transit, “not just for Seniors.”
And there’s the issue of Heritage. Bond Head is an “intact 19th century village,” which should be preserved. But preservation “has to be balanced between who’s going to do it, and how that’s going to be paid for.” He sees heritage as a resource that can be developed.
“We have a Council and a mayor who don’t think heritage is important,” Helman says, but “employment isn’t just factories. Employment is tourism – and what does tourism start with? Heritage.
“We can’t save every old barn and building, but we have to save the important parts.”
He adds, “I think all those things are issues – it’s all liveability, community. That’s what people moved here for. We need to preserve it.”
And he wants voters to know that although he has a corporate background, there are no corporate contributions to his campaign. “My kids bought my signs for me.”
Meade Helman can be contacted at 905-778-9328 or meadehelman@rogers.com
Helman is hosting two Meet & Greets for electors in Ward 4 – one on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Catherine’s of Alexandria Catholic Church, 56 Hearn St. in Bond Head. The second will be held Thursday, Sept. 30 at Bradford Community Church, 9th Line BWG and Yonge St.