Candidate Name: Shirley Keaveney
Position Sought: Mayor
Email: info@shirleyformayor.ca
Phone: (519) 373-7652
Bio:
As a fourth generation, lifelong resident of Meaford Shirley Keaveney was born and raised on a fruit and dairy farm – a foundation that instilled a lasting work ethic and deep roots in the community.
For 37 years Shirley owned and operated the Meaford Dairy Queen, building hands on experience managing staff, controlling costs and delivering the kind of customer service that kept people coming back. That business background – balancing budgets, solving problems and putting people first – has directly shaped Shirley`s approach to municipal governance.
Shirley`s community involvement runs deep: three years as President of the Meaford Chamber of Commerce, a proud member of Rotary and Chair of the Rotary Thrift Shop Committee.
In municipal government Shirley has served three terms on council – one as councillor and two as your Deputy Mayor – and represented Meaford at Grey County for eight years, sitting on eight county committees, including Chair of the Planning, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Vice Chair of the Board of Health and Chair of the Board`s Finance Committee.
Above all Shirley is committed to Meaford, a lifelong advocate for this municipality who believes strong community ties and sound business sense make for responsible, effective leadership.
Explain your primary reasons for your decision to seek election to Meaford council:
It is an honor to serve the residents of Meaford. Shirley’s dedication along with her knowledge, experience and leadership skills provide her the attributes to lead council and this municipality thru the next four years.
The upcoming term will be challenging with tough financial decisions ahead. We are facing growth, a shifting demographic, unpredictable weather, aging infrastructure, the Pumped Storage Project, inflation, the need to expand our wastewater plant and we should consider establishing a plan for our aging recreation facilities.
These points are included in Shirley’s campaign strategy “On the Cusp of Change”. Even though these concerns are daunting the challenge excites her, Shirley understands the issues.
The next term will see the Municipality of Meaford welcoming more young families, another new school will move forward, continued emphasis on roads and bridges, more housing helping us reach a full continuum of housing types, possibly a new OPP station and waterfront hotel.
Shirley has built relationships with other levels of government, understand the constraints of our available resources, and she has a strong sense of what matters to residents. Shirley worked hard as your Deputy Mayor, and she has what it takes to be your Mayor!
In your view, what should be the top priorities for the council that is elected on October 26?
The top priorities for this municipality begin with undertaking a visioning exercise, involving council and the public to determine together the goals for the next four years. There is so much opportunity and potential available to us, but we must decide together where to place our focus being conscious all the while that we emphasize attention to urban and rural concerns equally.
Our agricultural sector is deserving of its own voice; Shirley will move forward the creation of an Agricultural Committee providing our farmers the opportunity to share their ideas and needs directly with council.
The next council must very early on establish a new structure for Volunteer Advisory Committees creating the opportunity for utilizing local expertise in a way that provides valuable input to council.
Council needs to move infrastructure projects forward, address the cost of water/wastewater for our residents, determine the future of our recreation facilities, and explore how to do more with our limited resources.
We know the T.C. Energy project is proposed on federal lands, and we have NO approval authority for the Pumped Storage facility. The Environmental Assessment process will begin, and the next term may be faced with the negotiation of a comprehensive Community Benefit Agreement.
Council will be tasked with evaluating the type of growth that is right for Meaford and we must complete the Short-Term Accommodation Bylaw process. As well, Shirley wants to see us maintaining what we have, caring for the appearance of our downtown area and focusing on our culture of pride in our community.
Explain the role of Mayor as you understand it.
The position of Mayor as identified in the Municipal Act of 2001 defines the role as Chief Executive Officer to the Municipality. The Mayor presides over Council meetings maintaining decorum so the business of the day can be carried out efficiently and effectively.
The Mayor provides leadership to Council, the Mayor oversees municipal operations, ensures accountability and maintains the financial integrity of the organization. The Mayor represents the Municipality at official functions, acts as the spokesperson for council and represents the Municipality at Grey County Council.
The Mayor is ex-officio on all committees. The Mayor has one vote the same as any member of council.
Under recent Strong Mayor powers as required by the province the Mayor is responsible for preparing and presenting the budget to council. Otherwise, it would be Shirley’s intent if elected to continue the democratic practices this council and this Municipality are accustomed to.
It would be her intention to increase the levels and frequencies of communications to our residents; we must find methods other than social media and our website to reach people. Shirley will commit to more public meetings where face to face interactions can occur.
As Deputy Mayor Shirley has had opportunities over the past eight years to fill in for the Mayor. In the 2018-2022 term she was acting Mayor for five months which provided her on the job experience in this role.
Elections are about change, but it’s important to remember that a continuum of knowledge is also vital. Please vote for experience.
