Renfrew’s elections come during intriguing times for the town, and mayoral candidate Josh Marquardt is urging residents to get involved.
Marquardt worked as a by-law officer for the town, an opportunity he says gave him plenty of experience with both town hall and the community that he has been proud to serve.
A key part of his platform is a focus on community involvement in the decisions being made at town hall with the creation of new working groups, such as a community advisory committee, which he believes will bring more transparency and trust around how taxpayers’ dollars are spent.
Among his other priorities will be a deep dive into a solution for the many vacant properties within town, as well as developing new programs catered to improving quality of life for youth and seniors and expanding on the current policies in place as a way to encourage people to make Renfrew their choice to lay down roots.
He faces five other candidates in the October 26 municipal election: incumbent mayor Tom Sidney, Peter Emon, Callum Scott, Mike Coulas, and Jason Legris.
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We asked all responding Renfrew mayoral candidates the same three questions, with their answers in full below:
Question 1: Renfrew is expected to benefit greatly with the upcoming expansion of Highway 417 and the resulting potential for increased commercial, industrial, and residential opportunities. As mayor, how would you direct town staff to prepare for the economic and population growth?
Question 2: The town is feeling the pinch financially in multiple ways, including a lengthy debenture to cover cost overruns with the Ma-te-Way. Expansion project and volatile market conditions. How would you prioritize the town’s spending to navigate the situation?
Question 3: Beyond economic growth, what do you believe Renfrew needs to do to improve the quality of life for the people who already live here, and what would be your priorities as mayor?
(written by Kasey Egan)
