The nomination period for October’s municipal election has begun, and Meaford has its first candidate for mayor, current Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney.
Keaveney filed her nomination paperwork with the municipal clerk, kicking off her campaign on the opening day of the nomination period, Friday, May 1. Those considering adding their name to the ballot for the October 26 municipal election will have until August 21 to submit their nomination paperwork in order to register as a candidate.
As of the time I’m writing this column on Tuesday morning, Keaveney is the only candidate to be registered thus far, though more candidates both for mayor and for the remainder of the seats on council will surface as the days and weeks march on.
Candidates in this year’s municipal election will face voters who have a wide range of issues and concerns on which they will want their next council to focus.
TC Energy’s proposed pumped storage plant has been a top concern for residents of this community for several years, and it will continue to be one of the major issues for the next term of council. The concerns cover a wide range of issues, much out of the control of a municipal council, but the next term of council will need to focus on what they can influence and control as the impact assessment process continues to move forward. Preparing this community for the potential of hundreds of new workers moving into the community for the construction of the facility should it ultimately be permitted to move forward will be a monumental task for the next term of council. Many voters will want to hear from candidates their thoughts on just how they feel the municipality can prepare for what would be the largest project most of us have ever seen.
While the pumped storage issue is perhaps the biggest issue facing this municipality at the moment, there are of course a host of other concerns on the minds of Meaford voters, not the least of which is managing growth.
Like it or not, this municipality is growing, as is evidenced by the fact that our relatively new ‘super school’ is already bursting at the seams, well over its intended capacity, causing the school board to begin planning for another new school to be built in this municipality. Development pressures of course impact more than just our local school. Balancing growth, particularly in a smaller, rural municipality, can be a real challenge as existing residents most often have a different set of needs and wants than new residents often moving here from larger urban centres.
Development proposals themselves are often cause for controversy and debate. Change, as we all know, can be difficult. So many voters will want to know how candidates plan to navigate the tricky waters of growth, and what candidates envision Meaford’s future to be. So, this community is growing, and it is up to the residents of this municipality to help shape how that development happens, and electing members of council is in part how residents can help shape that future.
Roads and bridges along with other municipal infrastructure are always hot topics, whether it is an election year or not. Infrastructure is among the top issues that councils grapple with in every term. From resident complaints about potholes, or fears that our wastewater treatment plant is nearing its capacity, to the need to dredge the inner harbour, there is never a shortage of infrastructure issues with which to contend, and candidates for council must be prepared for that reality. Managing the infrastructure of any municipality, even a small municipality, is a genuine and costly challenge for any council.
As I wrote back in February, with each municipal election year, I am very much looking forward to seeing how many candidates decide to run for council this year, and who they will be. With the many issues facing this municipality, particularly managing growth and the pumped storage proposal, I would hope that we will see a healthy roster of candidates from mayor to deputy mayor to regular councillor vying for our votes on October 26. The more candidates the better in my opinion.
It isn’t enough to just have your name on the ballot, that can be achieved with a little bit of paperwork. I want to see candidates who have done their homework, and have a full and realistic understanding of the role of council, and the job of councillor. An understanding of what a council or individual members of council can actually do, and what they can’t. As I have written previously, I would like to see candidates who are driven by a desire to make this community better, and who understand that, if elected, they serve the entire municipality, urban and rural alike.
I would also like to see our council be as diverse as possible. Councils in any community, but particularly in rural communities, can be dominated by old guys like me. We have been fortunate over the years to have had a good gender mix on our councils (though during this term six of the seven members of council have been male), and we have had both male and female mayors and deputy mayors. But the age of our council is traditionally a little older, which is to be expected in some ways as we are an older than the provincial average community, as I noted in our April 30 print newspaper in my 3Rs…Rants, Raves & Rumours column. Even though this municipality’s median age is about a dozen years above the provincial average, it is still always nice to see younger candidates with a different perspective, and fresh ideas.
While council campaigns will be getting underway in the coming weeks, we won’t see election signs cluttering up roadsides until August 27. In the final two months of the campaign however, we can expect to see election signs on private lawns and on public roadsides as candidates compete for visibility, and a desire for broader name recognition.
So bring on the candidates, and a reminder that voters need to do their part, both by studying the candidates and their platforms, and perhaps more importantly, actually getting out to vote. Voter participation in the last municipal election held in 2022 was just 36.77 percent, which is not a very good turnout for a healthy democracy. So the candidates have to do their part, but so do we.
Best of luck to all candidates who toss their name into the ring for this year’s municipal election; it is a major decision that most are unwilling to make, so much respect to all candidates who make that tough decision, and are willing to serve on our council for the next four years.
