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In Their Own Words:
The Councillor Candidates

The BMRA, together with Climate Action Now Network (CANN) and the L.E. Shore Library in Thornbury have hosted a series of “Meet the Candidate” sessions.

The last session is tonight, at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, with candidates for Mayor & Deputy Mayor.

All the Councillor candidates sessions are complete.

Each session starts with the candidate offering a 3 minute introduction.

In this email, we are sharing links to the Councillor candidate videos, together with a summary of the candidates’ opening statement.

We’ve added links to each candidate’s website (where available).  We encourage you to view their websites to get a better understanding of the candidate and their position.

The candidates for councillor are presented in alphabetic order

Background:

• Young lifelong resident;

• consultant to manufacturers across Ontario.

Points:

• Addressed youth: will listen, do the homework, exercise judgment

• $19M overrun ($34.8M → $53.6M); reserves under pressure

• Supports KPMG-driven reforms (baselines, risk reporting, change thresholds)

• Proposes public capital-projects dashboard

• Plain-language summaries of council decisions – ‘accountability shouldn’t depend on trust’

Background:

• Executive/business-owner background,

• graduate degrees;

• council liaison to planning; alternate at Grey County

Points:

• Financial stewardship; hold tax levy near current level

• Rebuild public trust and improve town communications

• Affordable housing incl. ‘missing middle’; protect water and environment

• Support arts/culture/heritage, businesses, physician recruitment

• Handouts on $19.5M overrun, core services, town finances; ‘find common ground when I can, stand my ground when I must’

Background:

• Local business owner since 2008,

• self-employed since 1995;

• ‘not a politician’.

Points:

• Slow, calculated growth – no big subdivisions

• Small business is very important

• Tourism is natural here; doesn’t need chasing

Background:

• Lifelong resident;

• ex apple grower;

• construction business owner;

• conservation authority director;

• agricultural committees.

Points:

• After $19M overrun, sought municipal-auditor advice that fed reforms (bundling, no single-source tendering)

• Overhaul tendering; focus on core services

• Comply with asset management plan; review municipal service corporation

• Clearer, plain-language budgeting

• Food/shelter affordability; water and wastewater conservation; county reps who work for the town

• Tourism must benefit residents first

Background:

• Fifth-generation local;

• grew up and went to school here.

Points:

• Councillor’s job is to listen and show up

• Thoughtful growth; responsible investment in public spaces

• Keep improving services residents rely on

• Council accessible and accountable; future shaped ‘with residents, not simply for them’

• Common sense, respect, ‘always room to do better’ (values-focused, few specific policies)

Background:

• Finance background;

• Certified Fraud Examiner;

• ex PwC corporate investigations lead.

Points:

• Topic this session: consulting spend up 38% to $1.9M

• Consultants useful only with strong management; results hard to measure

• $100K KPMG overrun review was wasteful – wrong team (infrastructure, not forensics), ‘not an investigation’

• Council needs someone with finance/investigation experience

• Prior sessions covered growth figures and the $19.5M shortfall

Background:

• Moved back 2020 (3 generations under one roof);

• ~20 yrs at Telus, then own small-business tech firm;

• chaired CMHA Grey Bruce board.

Points:

• Governance and oversight (merged 3 agencies, hired CEOs, strategic plans at CMHA)

• Welcoming place for tourists, residents and employees

• Attainable housing via county collaboration and federal grants

• Preserve farmland

• ‘If we don’t have the money, we can’t spend it’; ‘smart governance, practical solutions’

Background:

• Former health-care executive (MScN, MBA, Wharton exec ed);

• resident since 2010.

Points:

• Protect natural beauty, grow thoughtfully; meaningful resident engagement

• Efficiency: municipal service corporation, technology, shared services, new delivery models

• On $19.1M overrun: pressed for answers early; twice suspended Thornbury West Ph. 2 (unfunded engineering)

• Moved to embed KPMG recommendations (risk reporting, validating growth numbers)

• ‘Pragmatic, persistent, professional’ – measure results

What do you think?