Lyndon George is the first Executive Director of Hamilton’s new Anti-Racism Resource Centre. The announcement came this morning in a City Hall media release.
Some of you will know Lyndon in his capacity as constituency manager in MPP Andrea Horwath’s local Hamilton Centre office.
It is a challenging and demanding quasi-political role. Hamilton Centre is a dynamic riding, and the constituency office deals with a wide range of people’s needs.
With Horwath being the Official Opposition leader, she needs to be at Queen’s Park for nearly every day the Legislature sits or its committees are meeting. As NDP leader, she must travel the province campaigning and fundraising the party.
Many of you do not know Lyndon. That is how good he is in this role – the job is to make sure Horwath’s constituency is well-served, and people see her exceeding expectations.
He is exceptionally qualified for the administrative work of HARRC.
Lyndon attends many community meetings in Hamilton Centre, quietly observing on behalf of Horwath. Afterwards meeting with key stakeholders individually to provide the support they need from their MPP.
He’s already active in the work of anti-racism and addressing the systemic issues undermining the ideals of our society.
Activism achieves results when honest brokers work to leverage the pressure of activism to gain results. When people march in large numbers in front of City Hall, Lyndon is the person who brokers the talks between vocal advocates and risk-averse bureaucrats.
The honest broker role is the most critical aspect of the HARRC executive director’s job. It is in this capacity the public will see Lyndon George most.
Hamilton’s politics, especially in any City of Hamilton funded role, is a minefield. George has over a decade of experience both avoiding the mines of Hamilton politics. Most importantly, his expertise in defusing volatile political problems and finding solutions will ensure the success of HARRC.