My family pharmacy has been serving east London since 1973, but it wasn’t until Shawn Lewis came and talked to me that I learned we could use Canada Summer Jobs funding to hire a student. It has been a win-win, we’ve given students pursuing an education in healthcare a chance to get some on the job experience, while we’ve gotten the help to hire summer students that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do. Since then I’ve had the chance to work with Shawn on other community initiatives. Whether it’s at the hockey rink or working with the government, Shawn’s a great community voice who would be a great City Councillor.
Scott Coulter, Owner of Coulter’s Pharmacy
Shawn has been my full time constituency assistant in London since the day I was first elected in 2006. He’s been responsible for every duty possible over the past 12 years, returning phone calls and emails, attending meetings, doing the research, and working with community partners. I’ve trusted and depended on Shawn to look after things on the ‘home front’ in London while I’ve been in Ottawa being your voice in parliament. I know that Shawn will be a champion for his Ward and for London as a member of City Council.
Irene Mathyssen, MP London-Fanshawe 2006-present
I’ve been coaching hockey in the east end a long time. I met Shawn when I started coaching a PeeWee team that he’d already been helping with. He wanted to stay involved so I brought him on as part of my coaching team. He’s been my team parent rep and team manager and filled in on the bench when I needed an extra person. He helped with fundraising and getting sponsors, brought the water bottles, tied skates, taped sticks, updated scores on the website, booked hotels, whatever the team needed, no complaints. He just got the job done. And this is a guy without a kid on the team, who just loves hockey and wanted to help out. Shawn’s always got a spot on any team I coach and we’d be lucky to have him playing for east London on the City Council team. I know he’ll put some goals on the board for us.
Jamie “Boomer” Boyce, London Bandits Hockey Coach & Ward 2 resident
Shawn has been a wonderful supporter of seniors in our area. He supported efforts to establish “Seniors Satellite” programs in the neighbourhood, made sure our Argyle Seniors are included in the Argyle Community Association, and makes time to come and listen to us. When it comes to the east end, things are stale at City Hall, Shawn is the breath of fresh air we need to represent us there.
Joyce Larsh, Coordinator Argyle Seniors Association
I’ve known and worked with Shawn for the past 12 years. We held the same jobs for our Members of Parliament, and although I was a Conservative staffer and Shawn was an NDP staffer, partisan party politics never got in the way of the two of us working cooperatively to help our MPs promote local issues and needs. My election as a Conservative MP in 2015 did not change that, because Shawn and I both want the best for London and the surrounding area. I look forward to continuing that positive work together with Shawn serving on London City Council, I know our doors will always be open to each other.
Karen Vecchio, Conservative MP, Elgin-Middlesex-London 2015-present
The best radio Roundtables I’ve done over the past 5 years have been with Shawn. He comes with his views, I come with mine, and we almost always find common ground. He’s smart, he’s got a great sense of humour, he works hard, and he’s so involved in the community because he genuinely cares. Shawn doesn’t just listen, he hears what people say. He’s a fair player, he helps find compromises, and he gets results. I’ve been on city council with the current councillor, and if the east end wants to see things happen, we need to make a change. Shawn is exactly the kind of person we need in local government.
Cheryl Miller, retired London City Councillor, 980 CFPL Radio personality
As a resident of the Argyle community, I’ve often felt we aren’t heard on issues by the people elected to supposedly represent us. However, Shawn has made the time to listen and he has successfully helped me with addressing a variety of concerns, from getting a light fixed at East Lions Park across from my house to my concerns about our transit service. He’s put in countless hours, unpaid, to be a voice for us and has shown time and again his dedication to the community goes beyond election cycles. I would be glad to have him represent the community that I call home.
Joshua Randall, Ward 2 resident
As a rural councillor, it has always been important to me to raise the issues of our communities with our larger urban neighbours. Shawn has always been a regional ally, whether it comes to planning applications, urban sprawl, International Plowing Match or high speed rail. He takes the time to truly understand the regional issues and the impacts that the City of London has on its rural neighbours. In order for the City of London to become an active regional partner as it grows the needs and wants of the City, it needs people like Shawn Lewis representing it. As a Thames Centre Councillor, and Deputy Mayor candidate, I encourage our London neighbours to elect Shawn Lewis as your Ward 2 Councillor. Together, we will work together as strong regional partners.
Kelly Elliott, Ward 1 Councillor for Thames Centre
I have had the pleasure of knowing Shawn for a few years now. I can tell you he really is a man of his word. Has never been “too busy” to help me. He continues to this day to help me and my family with whenever we ask. Shawn has always made every process simple, straight forward and not complicated. There has not been one time I’ve contacted Shawn and he has not returned my calls.
Hamza Youssef, London resident
Good people with good ideas has always been to me what politics should be about. In my 11 years as a Conservative MP, Shawn as an NDP staffer didn’t let political party differences get in the way of putting the best interests of London and the region first. And as a London area business person, I think Shawn’s ability and willingness to work on good ideas, regardless of what political stripe a person putting forward the idea might have, is exactly the kind of attitude we need at London City Hall.
Joe Preston, Member of Parliament Elgin-Middlesex London 2004-2015