Who am I?

My name is Glenn Patel.

I was a candidate for the Henderson-Massey local board in the 2025 local elections. I ran as an independent candidate on an urbanist platform.

Some might call my campaign unsuccessful, but right now - I call it round one.

I believe most people want the same things out of their home city. Nobody likes traffic, nobody likes living near decaying infrastructure, nobody likes being treated like an ATM.

Conversely, I believe a lot of the trouble we get into (as humans living in cities) is due to paradoxes and unintuitive facts of urban planning. Spending on motorways creates more congestion. The further you are away from other people, the more expensive things like power, water and rubbish disposal are to provide to you.

The burden on each other is smallest when we work together, and cities prosper when they abandon common sense for highly qualified and expert technical expertise.

No one person can be an expert in all such fields - but that is not the role of the local politician. A local politician’s job is to represent the interests of their community; to understand priorities and concerns. It is about being conscientious and dedicated. It is about listening to experts, asking them what the options are, and weighing up the intangibles. It is about listening to people - it is about being known to people.

Which is why I’m reworking this website. Work in progress.

I might not be a voice of the people right this minute - but I can make a habit of listening.