Councillor: Rodney Hammond

Municipality: Essex

Position: Councillor

Ward: Ward 3

What opportunities do you believe Windsor-Essex has to grow our art, culture and heritage sector?

I think that being a frontier community gives us an opportunity to share with the rest of the world our rich history and our contribution to the creation of Canada.
We still have ancestors of indigenous peoples that roamed this area long before the familiar names of our forefathers ever arrived.
I think it would be in our best interest embrace our past so that future generations can better appreciate why they were born and raised in Windsor, Essex.

How do you propose to attract or retain artists and cultural workers in your community?

By giving them an opportunity to display their work. An Artist needs to show his or her work to an audience in order for them to know if what they are doing is any good. Just give them that opportunity. The easier it is, the greater the demand for it will be.

What role do you see for arts and culture in the promotion of the region both as a destination for tourists and as a place of permanent residence for youth, families, and retirees?

The bike paths that are slowly being distributed throughout our community’s is haveing great impact on tourism.
Our favorable grade is particularly attractive to the elder bike enthusiast.
They are proving to be an excellent way to experience Essex County and I think we should take full advantage of that and promote it. Adding historical and cultural destinations on the route, perhaps by adding a specific name or anecdote to certain areas on the path.
Make it more that just a bike path.

In what other ways could you use your position as an elected official to help support the arts, culture and heritage sector outside of using municipal funding?

I am already in the process of creating a opportunity for all local talents to converge in our community for undetermined amount of time, should I become elected.

What is your perspective on the best ways to collaborate with other levels of government to ensure sustainability and growth for the cultural sector of our community?

Simply educate them on how significant our community is in regards to Canadian History.
In order to do that we have to better educate ourselves.

How do you personally engage with arts, culture and heritage in Windsor-Essex?

I personally enjoy many facets of our areas Arts and Cultures as we have the best of both worlds being just across the river from Detroit.