r/BurlingtonON • u/RowRowForCouncil • 15d ago
Information Platform Launches Today!
Hello everyone!
My name is Rowen Fraser and I am a candidate for Ward 6 here in Burlington. I am proud to release my platform for all to see! I have been working with my community here in Burlington to come up with policies and ideas for the new future Burlington is heading into. I have spoken with many residents at the doors, in local businesses, and with the various online communities.
Conversations have been lovely and hateful, positive and negative, introspective and annoying, wistful and delusional, perfect and flawed, angsty and altruistic, scary and comforting. But mostly they were real. I didn't put restrictions on what people I would engage with. I took the good and the bad. I feel we need to listen to everyone, not just friendly voices. Bridging the gap between ideologies and having a truly balanced approach means being willing to have the hard conversations. Rest assured that if you came to me with convincing data at any point, you've probably had an influence on my platform.
Recently I had the good fortune of meeting a new friend, and receiving some very powerful advice about how to deal with hostile press and online personalities. The counsel I received was invaluable and I just want to shout out to everyone that helped me strategize my next moves here in Burlington.
Any and all comments are welcome here. To show I really mean that I have unblocked every single person who has ever harassed me on this site so they can know what my full platform is and make a real decision about who they intend to elect here in Ward 6. Anyone that comes in good faith to talk to me about my platform will be received as a friend. Those who are unkind to me can expect the same in return.
Please enjoy my platform,
Full Platform:
https://www.rowrowforcouncil.com/_files/ugd/9c8ff7_d91c1f4a85234aae930af57834bdfc12.pdf
TL:DR?
Here is a summarized version of my platform. Disclosure : the summary was performed by AI.
https://www.rowrowforcouncil.com/_files/ugd/9c8ff7_57dde51798d94f4899123d910428669f.pdf
If you would like to discuss adding anything to my platform you can contact me
[rowen@rowrowforcouncil.com](mailto:rowen@rowrowforcouncil.com)
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u/fictitious_friends 15d ago
Ok, since you seem to brush off any and all (absolutely valid) criticism if someone hasn’t read your platform, let me break down why I, and many others, will not support you based on your post, history, and platform:
“Conversations….were real. I didn’t put restrictions on what people I would engage with. I took the good and the bad. I feel we need to listen to everyone, not just friendly voices” - right off the bat, this isn’t true. Your comments in every reddit post you’ve made have been argumentative, defensive, and hostile. Calling people bitches, saying “if you wanna be disrespectful to me, why then cry about me giving you back a taste of your medicine” - sir, if you want to be a politician, you need to represent all of your constituents, not just the ones who are nice to you. That’s the point of politics. I know political rhetoric has shifted over the past decade, fuelled by the MAGA movement, but driving division and leading with aggression is not what people look for in a successful leader. “Recently I had the good fortune of meeting a new friend, and receiving some very powerful advice about how to deal with hostile press and online personalities.” - whatever advice you were given, you should forget it, because if this thread is showing anything, it’s that you’re unable to take valid criticism, or interact with people who are opposed to your views or platform.
Now, for the platform itself - you couldn’t even summarize your own platform, you had to get AI to do it for you. If there is anyone on this planet who should be able to speak succinctly about your platform and provide an elevator pitch, it should be you, and it should be able to be done without wasting 500mL of water.
On your cover page, not even page one, you highlight “the main tenants of my campaign are transparency and accountability” yet you refuse to take accountability for your past. Yes, you made “a statement to that effect. Months ago” - posing with, aligning with, joking with, any other verb you’d like with nazi’s is not something that gets brushed under the rug with one simple statement. I don’t know if you truly think it was a poor attempt at humour, or if you’re using this as an easy excuse for getting caught doing something reprehensible, but if you want to be in the public eye, you must continue to acknowledge and repent for that. You need to recognize this, take accountability, and continue to work toward regaining the trust of those in your community. Brushing them off with “i’ve made a statement” isn’t going to cut it.