Setting the Record Straight, Part 1

Oshawa Municipal Election, 2026

I am not a politician.

I am a resident of Oshawa concerned with the current administration and our ever-worsening financial position.

I believe that I have knowledge and experience that can help the citizens of Oshawa and the City as a whole.

I believe in ‘civic duty’, public service, and democratic governance.

I also believe this election is one of the most important opportunities for the City of Oshawa to finally move forward.

Our mayor is retiring. 3 incumbent Councillors are vying to take over his seat, and they have substantial competition as well.

This election, we will change at least 3 of the incumbent Councillors, and hopefully even more!

WE have an opportunity to change the course of the City of Oshawa, by changing the names, faces, and philosophies that sit around the decision-making table in Council chambers.

Not only do I support this change, but I encourage it!

Last night I received a direct private message from a candidate in the upcoming election that suggested I was part of a ‘strange coordinated effort to suppress information I am sharing’. That message went on in an accusatory manner that I may have deleted this candidate’s comments.

That was more than enough to illicit a response from me which I include here in its entirety other than that candidates name:

"If you are trying to accuse me of being part of that coordinated effort, you are absolutely barking up the wrong tree.

I have opened up all the pages I admin to election posts. I have not blocked any candidates though many have blocked me.

I don't remove comments, I prefer to let Meta take that control.

Your post is still there and your comments, unless you have removed them.

I believe you posted earlier that you have created a new election account. Surely it has not already been blocked by all the incumbents - use it wisely to follow some of those incumbents."

The Candidate decided to double down and question my conviction to an open forum for discussions.

I provided a screen shot as proof the comment continued to be ‘live’ and accessible, at which point the candidate went on to tell we which incumbents are removing comments made by the Candidate and then to state, “I have been told you hate me many times, being very straight forward.”

Prior to becoming a candidate in this election, I have one dm from this person from 4 years ago and really have never had any personal interaction with them. Yes, I have seen lots of slanderous comments, I’ve been provided screenshots of personal comments with other members of the community but have never engaged with this person to know enough about them to ‘hate’.

But here is the truth, the whole truth, not just my truth…

I admin a few pages on Facebook, including this one. https://www.facebook.com/groups/159390260898688

I have been an admin on those pages for a number of years, as many as 13 years on one political page.

I have never blocked a sitting Councillor nor Candidate from any of those pages, or even from my own personal page.

In fact, if they desire to post on any of those pages, I will use the Administrative functions to allow their posts and not require future approval. I really don’t have time to babysit!

The pages and groups that I administer on Facebook (many with other administrators and moderators) are OPEN groups that allow anyone to view. I am not afraid of the messaging that I provide and realistically it is only blocked by those that have blocked me (ok, there are a small handful of people that have been blocked by me, and for legitimate reasons) but my posts are 99% public for anyone to view and have been for the past 13 years that I have been following Oshawa politics.

I entered this election campaign with a goal.

I want to be the voice of the residents of Ward 4, Oshawa.

I want the residents to have a representative that listens to them and fights for them.

I want to replace the incumbent candidate who has spent 12 years on Council and has been mostly a bobblehead for the current Mayor and the status quo.

I’m not looking for a job or a new career.

Public Service is about a commitment to the community and the people, not an award.

I also know that one person cannot make the difference, it takes a majority of Council to approve anything. That majority is 6, or in the case of Strong Mayor Powers may be just the Mayor plus 3.

And that is why I encourage candidates from all wards, all positions, to contribute to these pages.

We need to take advantage of this great opportunity for change.

We need fresh perspectives and new faces that can work together to make Oshawa the City all it can be, a place where we are proud to live, work, and prosper.

It is impossible to please all the people all the time, but with a focus on what is best for the City and its residents, a new Council has the ability to move us forward rather than continue to fail us like it has in the past 3 decades, at least.

I am pleased to have had my advice sought by a number of candidates in this election. I have provided them with genuine advice, guidance, and encouragement, and wish them all well.

But no one should waste their time trying to tell me that I am not inclusive of all candidates or accusing me of conspiring against them or somehow suppressing their message. I am running against 3 other candidates, and even they are welcome to post on my pages. I am not going to involve myself in the other 4 Wards and their battles. Come December, we will sit down and find ways to work together as an elected Council with the City’s best interests at heart.

Research the candidates in your Ward. Make informed choices.

But most importantly, on October 26, VOTE!

Jeff Davis

Candidate for Regional and City Councillor, Ward 4 Oshawa.

August 2, 2026 (original facebook post date)