WELLINGTON NORTH — Incumbent mayor, Andy Lennox looked back at his time helping council and staff do the “impossible” while fellow candidate for mayor, Dan Yake, pointed to his numerous terms serving as councillor at an all-candidates event Thursday night.
Both mayoral candidates say they bring ample experience to the race. Lennox has been mayor for eight years while Yake has been a councillor for 28 years.
The event was attended by roughly 40 people at the Mount Forest and District Sports Complex on Thursday. It was hosted by radio station 88.7 The River.
Lennox took his pitch as a chance to emphasize that as mayor he has taken on and been successful at overcoming serious challenges.
“As I reflect on the last eight years as mayor I’m reminded of one of my father’s favourite sayings that he picked up during his military service: the difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer. Some people said it was impossible to pay down debt rapidly, build financial reserves, increase spending on infrastructure, and do it all without dramatic tax increases.
“With council rallying around common priorities, and supported by our professional and enthusiastic staff, it has been a delight to work together to accomplish the impossible,” Lennox said.
Meanwhile, Yake took his pitch as a chance to express his concern for the well being of others and respect for the positions of municipal politics.
“I hope that today finds both you and your families healthy and safe. My name is Dan Yake. I’ve been a municipal councillor for 28 years, 23 as a Ward 1 councillor of Wellington North. It is both an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity this evening to stand before you as a candidate for mayor in this great community,” Yake said.
Lennox compared the growing township to a growing family and outlined how the municipality can manage its growth in population.
“Like the family that just found out they’re having triplets, it represents an exciting opportunity but it also brings new implications. More planning and effort will be needed around issues like transportation and traffic, integrating new people into our communities. And figuring out how to finance all the infrastructure we’re going to need to accommodate them,” Lennox said.
Councillor and mayor candidates were also asked how they would help the township keep its small town feel as it continues to grow.
Penny Renken, candidate for Ward 1 councillor, emphasized the need to keep the township’s small town appearance.
“I would like to still see this town to maintain the look of a small town. I’d like to see somehow the businesses on Main Street maintain the old fashioned look. So that when people come into our town, they’re going to really enjoy being here. Because that is why people come and live in this town, because they like what they see in our town,” Renken said.
Jeanean Mousseau, candidate for Ward 1, suggested embracing and building off the township’s history. Mousseau also noted that Cambridge is a success story in growing but keeping its small town atmosphere.
“Cambridge actually has done a wonderful job of maintaining the old small town charm, and the old historical buildings, you know the library in Hespeler was built in the 1800s and it’s still in operation. They’ve encased the old stone veneer, the walls in glass. So it can be done. Absolutely it can be done. And I think the population there was 200,000. So as our community grows, Penny has a great point, you know, we need to focus on maintaining that history and just building upon it and ensuring that we don’t lose our identity,” Mousseau said.
Shawn McLeod, the final candidate for Ward 1 councillor, emphasized the need for residents to treat each other with respect.
“It’s not just bricks and mortar or how the town appears. It’s how people are treated and how we treat each other. People need to be involved. And we need to have our service clubs, much like we did last week. I complement the town again on that event, at the lunch. We need to engage people. You need to know your neighbour. You need to look out for each other. That’s what the community is. Unfortunately it’s not just bricks and mortar,” McLeod said.
Yake contended that in order for the community to develop well, council needs to be proactive and engaged with change.
“Well we all know that the growth is here and/or coming. So I think one of the most important things that I see moving forward is council engagement. I think that council needs to be more involved in what is happening, they need to know what’s going on with developments rather than just kind of getting information at the last minute,” Yake said.
A further question Lennox and Yake answered was what they believe the role of the mayor to be.
Lennox said that being a mayor means working with others to set and then achieve goals.
“The role of mayor is a fairly complex role that involves leading the actions of council. Of course chairing the meetings is the part that legislation says. But it’s much more than that. It’s about trying to help council and staff reach the goals that we’ve set out. It’s also about being an advocate for our community,” Lennox said.
Whereas, Yake said that he sees the mayor as a motivator as well as a supporter of the council.
“I really think the role of the mayor is to inspire the community. I mean, we need to do all we can to make our community the best place it can be. The role of the mayor obviously is a leader. He needs to or they need to participate in many levels of discussion throughout the other levels of government. I think another role that really needs to be looked at, is that when the council is having difficulty making a decision, I think it’s the mayor’s role to try to take that, make that process much easier,” Yake said.
Oct. 24 is election day.
Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
