By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
An all-candidates meeting held at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre last week saw six mayoral candidates answer a wide array of questions related as to why they should be elected to lead Chatham-Kent.
Those present included Lauren Anderson; Michael Bondy, Darrin Canniff, April Colby, Ryan Gow and Randy Hope. Nelson Burm was absent.
Moderated by Robert Bellamy and Chris McLeod, the meeting moved quickly, as candidates were given only one minute to answer each question.
Each individual vying for the mayor’s chair kicked off the forum with an opening statement.
Anderson brings four years of council experience to the job.
In seeking the mayor’s chair Anderson said she will draw on 17 years of experience as a nurse to create a “care plan” for Chatham-Kent to build on the municipality’s strengths.
In her mind, Anderson said “community consultation” is the most important aspect related to infrastructure and taxes.
“It’s not about having a leader who is going to sit here and make all these decisions and pound the table,” she said, stressing Chatham-Kent’s leader needs to bring C-K’s 23 communities “together” to decide what’s important.
“People have to decide what they want and what they can live without,” she said, adding she’s the lone candidate living in a rural area.
The Wheatley resident said a really strong leader is needed to recognized the importance of all of Chatham-Kent.
“You’re responsible not just for your ward. You’re responsible for the entire municipality. It’s important that we cohesively come together.”
Bondy said 16 years on council make him the ideal person for the job.
“So, I know how this place works,” he said. “I’ve seen the good and the bad and I believe it’s time we make some changes. Priorities are taxes and trust. I’m not beholden to anybody and I will tell the truth.”
According to Bondy, C-K’s 2.75 mill rate is “exceptionally high” in Ontario, adding Chatham-Kent needs to look at itself “department by department” to find savings.
“So, we have to find efficiencies, which is a cliche term, that is not a great impact on the taxpayers,” adding base budgets need to be examined every year, rather than automatically approving it.
Bondy said he would like to see the creation of “ward councils” to pinpoint roads need to be improved.
Going forward, Bondy agreed the community needs to be able to attract new residents but that can’t be done on the backs of the current taxpayer.
Canniff is seeking a third term as mayor. He was first elected in 2018.
He said Chatham-Kent has grown in many ways since 2018 and is in a good financial position.
“I’ve proven my ability to move our community forward,” he said, adding he’s worked to bring new investments to C-K, such as Ideal Can.
“I want to see Chatham-Kent keep growing and I have the passion, the knowledge and the experience to get us there. I believe that our best days are still ahead and I’m asking for your support.”
“We need to understand what our community wants,” Caniff said, adding leaders need to focus on providing services more efficiently.
The mayor pointed out that infrastructure needs are the “big driver” behind tax increases, noting costs have doubled in the last 10 years.
When it comes to fixing roads, Canniff said the municipality determines the ones that need it most.
“We fix the worst ones,” he added, stating Chatham-Kent is now borrowing money to convert high priority gravel roads to asphalt.
According to Colby many people feel Chatham-Kent is a “place where things need to change,” adding that as mayor, she will focus on bringing communities together in the spirit of affordability and transparency.
Maintaining infrastructure properly is of paramount importance, Colby said, and should be done “right the first time,” regardless of costs.
She said C-K’s staffing and administration costs are the biggest item in the budget.
“We shouldn’t have to hire an outside organization to come in and find efficiencies in our municipality,” Colby explained, adding there are many “redundancies in services across Chatham-Kent. “We have to do a top-down look.”
Colby said utilizing small groups to determine what roads need to be fixed is a sound approach.
“It’s not that hard,” she said. “We just ask them. We should be able to send a worker there to look at it. Somehow we’ve missed that step.”
New to the political arena, Gow said he offers an “alternative” for Chatham-Kent voters.
“I’m not going to sit here and promise every problem will be solved overnight,” Gow said if he’s elected. ‘What I can promise is an approach based on preparation, clear priorities and execution.”
Gow also said there are many redundancies in services, and more needs to be done to reduce the municipality’s “dependency” on the C-K taxpayer by bringing in investment.
According to Gow, he would begin addressing C-K’s infrastructure gap by compiling an assessment report on roads and bridges within his first 90 days in office. He also urged citizens to call 311 if they see problems.
“I would also like to invite the public to contact their councillors and get them involved,” he said.
He stressed that Chatham-Kent is “open for business” and needs to be ready when opportunity comes knocking.
“We need to service land that’s available to attract these high-paying jobs,” he said.
In his opening statement, Hope stated strong leadership is needed to guide Chatham-Kent.
“We need leadership,” the veteran politician said. “We need somebody who can work with provincial and federal governments.”
Hope, who served as mayor in Chatham-Kent for 12 years, and previously at an NDP MPP in the 1990s, said there’s a need to “get a hold” of taxation, as well as increased transparency as to how tax dollars are spent.
“But most importantly it’s about leadership’s ability to work with others and have an outcome that is beneficial to the community of Chatham-Kent.”
Hope said council needs to undertake a “comprehensive review of the budget,” noting cutting budget items is difficult.
Increasing assessment growth is important, the former mayor said, adding council’s priorities on the capital budget need to be “very clear and precise,” incorporating the entire municipality.
Pointing out the fact the assessment management plan is a reference document, Hope said C-K needs to look at more cost-effective way to handle road work.
