Candidates for the October 26 municipal election have been trickling in over the first month of the nomination period, which began on May 1. As of Tuesday morning there were a total of six candidates registered for the election: one for mayor, one for deputy mayor, and four for regular council seats.
Meaford’s council consists of five regular councillors along with the deputy mayor and mayor for a total of seven members, so we almost have as many candidates as there are seats up for grabs.
As of the morning of Tuesday, June 9, Meaford now has one candidate for mayor – current Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney, one for deputy mayor – current Councillor Rob Urhig, and four candidates registered to run for a regular council seat – incumbents Tony Bell, Brandon Forder, and Eric Ennis, along with a new face, candidate Adam Vaughan.
Of the six candidates that have registered thus far, all but one are members of the current term of council.
Incumbents often have an advantage in municipal elections if only due to the name recognition developed over their years on council. As we have seen in previous elections however, incumbency is not a guarantee of re-election, so I am looking forward to seeing who might challenge these incumbents in October’s election.
One big question on the minds of some of the folks I have talked to recently is who will run against current Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney for the position of mayor? In the 2022 municipal election Keaveney was unopposed for the deputy mayor’s position, and was therefore acclaimed.
An acclamation is not good for a healthy democracy of course, so I am hopeful that we will see at least one more candidate register for the mayor’s position, and one more for the deputy mayor’s position; three or four candidates from which to choose for those two positions would be even better.
Given that we elect five regular council members, I would love to see ten candidates toss their hats into the ring. The more candidates we have, the better for Meaford voters in my opinion.
As I wrote on this page a month ago, there is no shortage of issues for candidates to grapple with as they seek the votes of residents of this municipality.
From the traditional municipal issues like roads and bridges, along with other infrastructure that must be maintained in spite of the ever growing cost, to managing the development of a growing municipality, to TC Energy’s pumped storage proposal which has been a hot button issue in this community for the past six years, voters will have many questions for this year’s council candidates, and those candidates had best be prepared to provide answers.
Very few council candidates can appeal to everyone, as we all have our own ideas of what makes for a good council member. I was stopped on the sidewalk for a quick chat with a resident last week who told me, “All I want is a council that will fix our roads, lower my taxes, and will shut down this pumped storage plan.” With a friendly smile I asked, “Oh, is that all you want?”
Most every candidate can promise to tackle infrastructure deficiencies like pothole-filled roads, that is something that a council can actually do. Lowering taxes is quite another thing. And though we have heard candidates promise in past elections to lower taxes, as I have warned in each election such promises are all but impossible to keep as the realities of the world we live in apply to municipalities as much as they do everyone and everything else Municipalities are impacted by inflationary pressures like any business or household, which makes lowering taxes highly unlikely, so to candidates, be careful what you promise, and to voters, be careful of what candidates might promise in hopes of securing your vote.
As for the pumped storage proposal, the reality is that it is well outside of the scope of council’s responsibilities and their ability to influence. But what the next council must do is to plan as though it will happen, and to work to position this community to both endure the many years of construction, and to also benefit significantly in exchange for the many inconveniences we might encounter should the project ultimately move forward.
As the October 26 municipal election approaches, I will be looking for candidates who have an understanding of the role and responsibilities of a municipal council as well as the limitations of what individual councillors as well as council as a whole can actually do. I will be looking for candidates that will continue to focus on our infrastructure needs while also working to limit property tax increases as much as possible through efficient management of municipal operations, careful planning, and the strategic use of long-term debt, which can allow for major projects to be undertaken without overburdening the ratepayers of today, but rather spreading that cost over time.
Others will have their own list of priorities, and that doesn’t make my list wrong and their’s right, it just means that we all have different views about how a council should determine priorities.
Municipal election time is also a time when the ‘wish-list’ items are discussed a little more than at other times. I have already heard suggestions that council should be working toward building a new recreation centre with a gym and an indoor swimming pool. I hear these and similar suggestions each election year, and while it is a fabulous dream, it is also a costly dream in a small municipality that hasn’t been able to drum up the $12 million that has been suggested in staff reports that is needed to overhaul our ageing arena and community centre. So where $25 million (or more) would come from to build a recreation centre is anyone’s guess (though some hope that perhaps TC Energy will offer up such funding as part of the community benefit agreement).
So the candidates are trickling in, and the voters are ready to hear from them. Meaford voters will have many questions for the candidates, as they should, and the candidates who can satisfy the needs and the desires of the ratepayers in this community will be the ones most likely to succeed on October 26.
Anyone planning to run for council or school board trustee will have until August 21 to register their candidacy. Election information, including the unofficial list of registered candidates can be found at: https://www.meaford.ca/en/our-government/election.aspx
