Skip to content

New warden and deputy warden to be chosen Dec. 11

Severn Township deputy mayor-elect Jane Dunlop running for deputy warden seat
GateWaySign2
County of Simcoe

Some familiar faces and some new have thrown their hats in the ring for the Simcoe County warden and deputy warden positions.

Declaring to run for the warden seat are Bradford Deputy Mayor James Leduc and Tiny Township Mayor George Cornell.

“My reason for running as your warden is simple. It is about a better quality of life, an affordable cost of living, and that each and every resident in Simcoe County can thrive and prosper in our great region,” said Leduc in an email sent to all county councillors this week.

In an interview with Village Media, Leduc said his mandate as warden would be to respect everybody's wishes and work to unite communities throughout the county.

"I want to get rid of the stigma of the north (versus) the south. I plan on listening to everybody and ensuring their concerns are addressed on all levels," he said. "I want to make sure I unify the whole county. If we can unify this group ... we can make great things happen for our businesses and our residents."

Cornell’s decision to run for warden was spurred by his colleagues.

“I was honoured to be approached by some of my fellow members of county council and asked if I would consider running. I feel my background and experience have allowed me to gain the right skills for the role of warden. I want to play a larger role in advancing the business at the county,” he said.

“I share a passion for the projects and services we provide through the county — our support and alliance with health care, social services, economic development and tourism, affordable housing, food insecurity, our transit initiative, and our partnerships with education,” said Cornell.

Declaring to run for the deputy warden seat are Collingwood mayor-elect Brian Saunderson, Severn Township deputy mayor-elect Jane Dunlop and Clearview Township Deputy Mayor Barry Burton.

“It would be my second term at county council and I wanted to really increase my level of involvement with the county. It’s such a critical aspect of our municipal governance structure. We each have our local issues, but on the larger scale with the county, that’s where most of the provincial funding comes through for affordable housing and long-term care and our involvement with the health-care system. It’s really an opportunity to be involved in that process,” said Saunderson. “As well, I will be stepping away from my law practice, so I had additional time and wanted to commit more time to my municipal roles.”

Dunlop, who is a new face at county council after recently being elected in Severn Township, had previously acted as a ward councillor.

“This is my first term at county and I really want to get to know the internal workings,” she said. “I feel that I have the work ethic and the time that I can work hard for the county.”

Dunlop thinks the main issue facing the county is economic development.

“I want more jobs in our county to stop people from going down that highway south. There’s got to be more good, well-paying jobs here. We keep building more bridges and wider highways and more ramps and it’s just more congestion. There’s too many people heading to Toronto for jobs. I want jobs right here in our county,” she said.

Burton did not return a request for comment by publication time.

Candidates have until Dec. 11 to declare, so more candidates may put their names forward between now and then, or choose to drop out.

“It’s an exciting and important day that triggers the election of the warden, who is deemed to be the head of council like a mayor; the deputy warden and chair and vice-chair positions are all elected through a nomination and voting process from among our 32 county councillors, who represent the 16 lower-tier municipalities,” said John Daly, Simcoe County clerk.

“Each candidate requires the public support of two other councillors (a mover and a seconder) to support the nomination, and each mover, seconder and candidate can address council regarding the nomination,” said Daly.

The positions will be decided at the inaugural meeting of county council on Dec. 11 by a balloted vote of all county councillors, for a two-year term.

— With files from Jenni Dunning


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.




Jessica Owen

About the Author: Jessica Owen

Jessica Owen is an experienced journalist working for Village Media since 2018, primarily covering Collingwood and education.
Read more