Rob Hailman Suspends Campaign for Peterborough Mayor

By Scott Arnold

Rob Hailman has announced that he is suspending his campaign for mayor of Peterborough, effective immediately.

mayoral candidate rob hailman put a statement that he will be suspended his campaign (photo courtesy of rob hailman, via hailman4mayor.ca)

Hailman says he will still attend commitments he has already made, including debates this week, but will conduct no further campaign activities.

In a written statement, Hailman said that after spending the past month campaigning while working two jobs, he has found that doing both has meant compromising his ability to campaign, his commitments to his employers and his community, and his health and well-being.

While Hailman is no longer campaigning, he remains a candidate for mayor and his name will appear on the ballot.

“Long before seeking election, I dedicated myself to learning about the issues facing our community, to bearing witness to the inequities and injustices in the structures and decisions of City Hall, and to speaking truth to power,” Hailman said. “It is clear to me that this, not elected office, is the best means for me to bring about the change I believe Peterborough needs.”

Hailman says he remains committed to advocacy and citizen engagement and encourages those who supported his campaign to continue that work.

Hailman’s full statement is below.

Statement From Rob Hailman Re: Suspension of Campaign

I have made the difficult decision to suspend my campaign for mayor of Peterborough, effective immediately. I will attend the events I have committed to, such as debates this week, and then will conduct no further campaign activities.

For the past month, I have sought to conduct this campaign while working two jobs. In recent days, it has become evident that this has meant compromising my ability to campaign, my existing commitments to my employers and my community, and my health and well-being.

Throughout the campaign, many people have told me they feel represented by my candidacy, as someone who knows first hand the struggle of today’s high rents and housing instability, as someone who works multiple jobs to make ends meet, or as someone who relies on a public transit system that is too often inadequate.

I have long known, intellectually, that the privilege to be able to take time off work, or to not need to work at all, confers a huge advantage during an election, and this affects both the perspectives we hear on the campaign trail, and the people we see in the council chamber. While my decision to end my campaign is a personal choice which I am wholly responsible for, I now understand those structural factors more deeply from my first-hand experience.

At the start of my campaign, I said that I didn't feel that the other candidates running for mayor shared my values. The intervening weeks have strengthened my certainty that this is the case.

I have attempted to express positions which offer an ambitious vision for better Peterborough than today’s status quo, but which are also based on a realistic view of the city’s finances and future outlook.

Throughout the campaign, I have heard promises, specifically around spending and taxation, which are not grounded in reality. At best, these promises will simply be broken. At worst, attempting to fulfill them could mean draining the city’s reserves, falling farther behind in maintaining our public infrastructure, and continuing to fail to address the city’s most pressing issues.

While I am no longer campaigning, I remain a candidate and my name will appear on your ballot. I encourage you to vote your conscience in this election, in whatever way you choose.

To my supporters, I am deeply sorry if I have disappointed you.

Long before seeking election, I dedicated myself to learning about the issues facing our community, to bearing witness to the inequities and injustices in the structures and decisions of City Hall, and to speaking truth to power. It is clear to me that this, not elected office, is the best means for me to bring about the change I believe Peterborough needs.

If my campaign has inspired or encouraged you, I ask that you join me in that work, as citizens and as neighbours, both today and long after election day.

With love and gratitude,
Rob

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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