Mapleton voters fill Drayton theatre for candidates night

DRAYTON – Almost every seat was full at the Drayton Festival Theatre on Oct. 7, for a  Meet the Candidates evening hosted by the Mapleton Chamber of Commerce.  

The candidates were asked questions about reducing spending, the fiscal accountability of water and wastewater services, increasing meaningful community engagement, increased transparency, shared services between municipalities, conflicts of interest, supporting existing and future businesses, strong mayor powers, measures of success and road safety.

School boards, county

Wellington Catholic District School Board trustee for Mapleton, Minto, Wellington North and Centre Wellington Andrew Finoro, and Ward 2 county councillor Earl Campbell have been acclaimed. 

Finoro was not present, but Campbell attended the event, offered opening and closing remarks, and invited residents to approach him with any questions or concerns. 

There are two Upper Grand District School Board candidates for Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North: Mike Johnson and Curtis Cox. 

Johnson was not present. 

Curtis Cox

Cox volunteers in his eight- and 11-year-old daughters’ school, and has been the president of Minto soccer for three and a half years. 

If elected, he would listen to families, students, teachers and support staff and advocate for resources, staffing technology and support, particularly for rural schools “so that we have the same opportunities and same resources that big cities do,” Cox said.    

“I understand rural communities have unique challenges and … I am against a one-size-fits-all approach.” 

Mayors 

The race for mayor in Mapleton is between incumbent Gregg Davidson and current councillor Amanda Reid. 

Gregg Davidson

Davidson shared highlights of his eight-year term as mayor, including increased childcare, water and wastewater expansions, a $1-million grant for Conestoga Crest, better efficiency in the roads department, modest tax increases, updates planned at the PMD arena and forecasted industrial and residential growth, including rental accommodations.  

“We need housing for seniors and lower-income folks,” Davidson said. “There are over 500 people in our community classified as living in poverty – we need to have housing for them,” including apartment buildings.

He stressed the importance of “slow growth,” and noted the Mapleton Health Centre will need more space and staff to accommodate the growing population. 

If given strong mayor powers, Davidson said he expects to continue to work corroboratively with council. Municipalities have the power to remove themselves from most strong mayor powers, he noted, but the budget becomes the “Mayor’s budget, you can’t change that.” 

Davidson said chief financial officer Patrick Kelly would continue to oversee the budget – “why use my brain when I could use yours and the entire team?” he chuckled. 

“Mapleton is no longer an unknown community. We are doing very well here in Mapleton,” Davidson said, and its leadership team – himself, CAO Manny Baron and chief financial officer Patrick Kelly – are well respected on provincial and federal levels, “that’s why we get so much money from them.” 

He said during these “unsteady times,” the township needs steady leadership, so it is not a time for change. 

Amanda Reid

Reid said “Mapleton is ready for strong, forward-thinking leadership focused on where Mapleton is heading … a mayor willing to look ahead, make decisions based on facts and listen to residents.” 

She stressed the importance of spending taxpayer money responsibly and supporting the agricultural community and local businesses. 

Reid said “raising taxes should never be the automatic first answer,” and that to save money, council should instead start by examining various service levels and what they cost.

She added every township department should be able to justify its spending, to “make sure every tax dollar we are spending and service level we are creating is done efficiently,” and she said she’d work to make sure the county-portion of Mapleton taxes is spent responsibly, too.

Mapleton needs growth that is responsible and methodically thought out, and strengthens, not changes, the community, Reid said. “We need to make sure we have the infrastructure in place,” she added, noting nothing is more important than protecting prime ag land. 

“I want to see the community stay the rural community we are,” she said, with growth that leads to a stronger tax base and expanded businesses.  

As a director for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Reid said she gives Mapleton a strong voice at the provincial table, and as mayor she would increase provincial advocacy.   

As for strong mayor powers, Reid said “thanks, but no thanks … I would not use them,” and she has “advocated strongly against” them.  

Councilors 

All nine candidates for council were present. 

There is no ward system in Mapleton, meaning every voter can select up to four candidates, and the four with the most votes will take seats on council. 

The candidates include incumbents Michael Martin, Marlene Ottens and Lori Woodham, former councillor Andy Knetsch, and new candidates Doug Duimering, Jennifer Goertzen, Robin Larkin, Alby Mbanjabahizi and Paul Snider.  

Michael Martin

Martin asked voters to judge him on how he’s handled issues important to them during his 12 years on council. Varying perspectives on council and township staff have taught him to listen, discuss and find a path forward, he said, and being accessible to residents keeps him accountable.  

The two biggest challenges council faces are responsible growth and balancing taxes with service levels and amenities. 

“Mapleton’s gonna grow,” he said, and commercial and industrial development is an important part of that growth, which involves “council knocking down barriers.” But he said council should be “uncompromising in our preservation of [farmland].”  

To reduce costs, he said he’d focus on increased collaborations between neighbouring municipalities, like the Tri Fire Services. 

Marlene Ottens

Ottens is proud of her accomplishments over the last 12 years, including creating a recreation manager position and organizing a cyber-safety evening – “smaller things that might not seem huge and important but make the community great.” She would like to bring forward an arts council. 

Mapleton council already spends money efficiently, and more collaborations with neighbouring municipalities could increase this, she said. 

Growth should happen at a “slow and steady” rate, with services matching pace, she said. 

A lifelong Mapleton resident, Ottens said she’s always been involved in the local community and “being on council is an arm of that – helping to serve the community [and] make it a better place.”  

Lori Woodham

Woodham served on council from 2014 to 2018 and 2024 to 2026, and her priorities include safe roads and drinking water, protecting farmland and allowing the agricultural sector to grow.  

She said new homes, particularly for seniors and young and low-income families, should be built within urban boundaries.

Her strong financial background informs her budget questions, which increase transparency, and she is proud of the township’s “amazing” budget, she said. She encouraged people to show up to meetings, especially budget meetings, which she said are “fun,” to voters’ amusement. 

She said a resident told her “‘You as council need to understand, you don’t need to give everyone what they think they want, you need to give them what they need.” 

Andy Knetsch

Knetsch immigrated from the Netherlands at age 11, and served on council from 1988 to 1991 and from 2010 to 2014. 

He congratulated staff and council for their budget and said he had no suggested improvements. 

Many young people are disinterested in politics because they feel unheard, he said, and while politicians can try to change that, “it’s the person who has to make his or her decision to get involved.” 

A key question with growth, he said, is whether the Mapleton Health Centre can handle it. “If not, we need to get together as council and staff and discuss ways to be proactive.”

To increase road safety, he suggested installing speed bumps. Knetsch’s goal is to improve quality of life, he said. 

Doug Duimering

“It’s council’s duty to ensure any agricultural land used for development meets very high standards for community benefits,” Duimering said, and land-use efficiency could be improved by reducing front-yard setbacks and narrowing roads. 

He said he’d compare Mapleton’s performance with similar municipalities, and ensure money is only spent on things local citizens value.

Materials should clearly outline residents’ options so they can make informed decisions, he said, instead of pages of information that are hard to sift through and understand. 

To support businesses he said he’d reduce unreasonable administrative delays for permitting and ensure there is appropriate housing for their employees.

To increase road safety, he suggested making stop signs more visible with lights and increased reflectivity and size. 

Jennifer Goertzen

Goertzen said her work as an advisor increasing organizations’ efficiency will help her ensure responsible spending by using staff time wisely, amalgamating tasks and streamlining things while maintaining service levels. “I always ask critical questions and challenge the status quo,” she said.

Goertzen added she would increase clear, transparent communication on social media and in fliers, would meet with community groups and hold more information sessions, working to understand how people want to express their opinions and concerns. 

Growth must be responsible and monitored, protecting ag land and ensuring sufficient infrastructure, she said.

She’d provide information for people looking to open or expand businesses or apply for grants, Goertzen said. 

For road safety, she noted “enforcement is key,” as is more visibility with stop signs, understanding root causes of crashes and working with the county to address them.  

Robin Larkin

“You as the residents deserve transparency, whether from us the councillors or the township directly,” Larkin said. 

She supports responsible growth, road safety, infrastructure investments, healthcare and small businesses. 

“I can bring to you guys the fresh perspective of somebody who has not been in the town for a very long time,” she said. 

“The best way to get people to engage is to ask questions,”  and to answer those questions, even when it’s not what they want to hear. 

Websites can be difficult to navigate, she said, so she’d welcome calls, texts and emails and respond promptly. 

For road safety she supports bigger signs, flashing lights, cutting back trees and installing speed bumps. 

“I may not have all the answers, but I’m willing to listen, dig in and do the research needed,” Larkin said.    

Alby Mbanjabahizi

Mbanjabahizi survived the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, moving to Canada in 2002 and to Mapleton in 2019. He is the president of Sabato Homes. 

He said he will find out what residents value before cutting costs, and generate more revenue by renting out the arena and other venues for private parties. 

He said he’d meet people where they’re at and make information easy and accessible by posting polls and videos on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, and launching a Mapleton newsletter. 

“Residents deserve to know what’s happening in the township before a decision is made, not after,” he said. 

Mbanjabahizi suggested installing a billboard showcasing businesses. He said the OPP told him they don’t have enough manpower to police all roads but recommend speed humps, rumble strips and signs with lights. 

Paul Snider

Snider said most politicians are great speakers but terrible listeners who residents mostly only hear from at election-time. “It is a politician’s duty to engage with the community to go out (and) hear what you have to say,” he said.  

He added he is distressed by low voter turnout and said “different people prefer different avenues to voice their opinions,” so he’d make himself available by email, phone, social media, and in person at events. 

He’d like to see more firefighter training to reduce reliance on other municipalities.   

Growth should be slow and steady, he said, and industry growth should only happen when it’s wanted and beneficial for residents. Protecting farmland and the environment is important, including keeping the water, land and air free of pollution, he said.  

Also important is supporting local businesses, he said, and he’d work to increase their visibility.