THREE-HORSE RACE FOR MAYOR

STEWART STRATHEARN, BILL GORDON AND JONATHAN MAIN ARE ALL RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION

The October municipal election is going to feature an intriguing mayoral race in Midland.

Current mayor Stewart Strathearn and town councillors Bill Gordon and Jonathan Main have all announced their intentions to run for head of council.

While the municipal election is months still five months away, candidates in Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny and Tay could officially file their paperwork and announce their candidacy as of May 2.

Gordon filed his paperwork with the town clerk the minute town hall opened that morning, ensuring his name was first on the ballot.

He said he had been mulling over the idea of a mayoral bid for the past few months before eventually deciding to go for it and seek a more influential role on council.

"If I want to keep playing in the governance game here in Midland, I need to do so with all of the facts I can have," said Gordon. "The best way to get those is to be in the room, or at the table, which means being the mayor or deputy mayor."

The mayor gets to sit on a variety of local committees and gets a seat at the county council table.

Gordon wants to positively influence the municipality by "changing the tone" and working to create a resilient, responsive and collaborative council. He would also like to revisit plans for the Midland Bay Landing site.

"If I am in that chair we are going to have the conversation about changing direction," said Gordon. I'm not guaranteeing that it's going to happen, but we are going to have a conversation, look at alternatives and decide if that decadeold plan that seems to really rub a lot of people the wrong way is in fact the right way to go."

For Jonathan Main, running for mayor has been a long-time aspiration. He has spent the past two terms - eight years - on council, sat on various committees and believes it is time to take the next step.

"The hope was to get experience at the council level and get myself in a position where I would be prepared

and have some momentum to run for mayor," said Main.

"I know how important public policy is and what a difference we can make to the local population by having great municipal services."

Steweart Strathearn has unfinished business to tend too.

"The job's not done," said Strathearn. "There is a lot of

unfinished business and I think I've got the ability to bring both council and staff together to get it done."

Midland has a significant infrastructure deficit, with Strathearn estimating there's approximately $150 million worth of infrastructure that needs to be replaced.

"Unless we grow in a responsible, planned way, that (financial) burden

rests on the existing tax base," said Strathearn.

"Town hall needs to be more nimble. We have put more emphasis on planning and engineering within the town, so they can handle and increased number of applications for development."

The municipal election is slated for Oct. 24. For an up-to-date list of candidates, visit simcoe.com.