WARD 2: Newcomer Klassen joins Goller on council

Incumbent Rodrigo Goller will be keeping his seat alongside newcomer Carly Klassen

Rodrigo Goller and Carly Klassen.Supplied photos

Incumbent Rodrigo Goller and newcomer Carly Klassen have been voted in as Ward 2 city councillors.

Goller will be entering his second term after being elected in 2018.

"It's a relief to see that constituents have appreciated the work I've been putting in, and have given me a mandate for another term. I really appreciate that," he said.

Moving forward, the top priority for Goller is addressing the homelessness and housing crisis, as well as getting the new zoning bylaw approved "to open up restrictive covenants that prevent more housing from being made available."

In addition, he said he plans on bringing more low-income, social housing to Guelph.

But connectivity is also a concern. In his first term he realized "how disconnected most residents are" from local politics and he's looking to change that.

"There are many members of our community who are not online, many seniors over 80 that I've talked to in the last couple of months, that are completely cut off from the flow of information. So I'm looking to see how we can best reconnect with our community," he said, adding that he's also "really excited to work with new councillors. I'm hoping city council can work better together in this term."

For instance, he said, by cutting "down on some of those 12-hour council meetings, so they're not so long."

Before being elected in 2018, Goller worked as a community engagement coordinator at the City of Guelph. Currently, he sits as the chair for the corporate services committee and represents Guelph on the boards of directors of Wellington-Dufferin-GuelphPublic Health and the Downtown BIA.

Klassen was not immediately available for comment. This will be her first time on city council. She owns The Sage Soap Company and has lived in Guelph for 21 years.

She handily beat third-place finisher Rob Osburn, by almost 2,000 votes.