Pickering Ward 2 candidate pledges first year's pay to local charities if elected

John Meloche, a candidate for Pickering Ward 2 councillor, has pledged to donate the net base salary he would receive during his first 12 months in office to eligible charities and not-for-profits serving Pickering residents if he is elected on October 26. Per diems, benefits, expense reimbursements, mileage and other compensation are excluded from the pledge.

According to the Durham Post, no charity will be selected or promised funding before the election, and the selection process would begin only after the official result, with published eligibility requirements, an open application process and an independent committee applying predetermined criteria. Meloche says he would not sit on the committee or personally choose recipients, and that every recipient, donation amount and payment would be publicly reported alongside a final reconciliation of salary received versus amount distributed.

Meloche, a Pickering resident since 2010, is a husband, father, technology entrepreneur and neighbourhood-association president who has run his own business for more than 18 years. He says Pickering has given his family a place to call home and he wants to give something meaningful back, adding that he is not running for another paycheque but because he cares about what today's decisions will mean for Pickering residents tomorrow.