Residents vote for more of the same in Puslinch

PUSLINCH – It’s déjà vu all over again in Puslinch, as residents voted all five incumbents in for another four years.

James Seeley returns as mayor with 1,527 votes, compared to his closest contender Stephanie McCrone,  who had 920, followed by Michael Wilford at 472.

And all the sitting councillors were re-elected as well:

• Sara Bailey, 2,062 votes;
• Jessica Goyda, 1,933;
• Russel Hurst, 1,626; and
• John Sepulis, 1,538;

Dave Smedley came close with 1,217 votes and Steven Dorgo received 917 votes.

“I’m glad it’s over,” said Seeley the next day. “It’s been a grind.

“But the message from the public is they are happy with council composition and what we’ve been doing, to return the decision makers to office.”

Seeley said questions from residents during the debate indicate there’s some work that needs to be done to the site alteration bylaw, so residents can do things like repair their driveways without conducting onerous studies.

“But beyond that, we’ve got aggregate, the Hydro One corridor and planning applications to deal with. I feel we can continue our good work,” he said.

He added he is happy to have experienced councillors back at the horseshoe.

“I remember when I was new. I think it took a year before I felt I wasn’t treading water,” he said, adding this council has worked well together in the past and he has that same expectation for the future.

Councillor Sara Bailey had the largest number of votes – even more than the mayor – a fact she looks forward to ribbing Seeley about when the time is right.

Voter turnout, she said, was 38 or 40 per cent, which is a good number for a municipal election.

“I’m excited that people are engaged. In the next four years, people are paying attention to the issues and I like that,” she said.

Goyda was also pleased with the outcome for herself and her council mates.

She agreed with some residents that she had to recuse herself from some matters last term.

“Because I’m involved in many things in the community, sometimes I have to declare a conflict,” she said. “But all those experiences help me make better, informed decisions.

“It’s exciting to be back and I’m really proud of what council has done. Now we will build on that.”

Hurst echoed those sentiments. He was the newbie councillor in 2022 and feels a lot more sure of himself at the horseshoe this time around.

He sees the “big bucket” issues in front of council as aggregate applications, the township’s recent purchase of the Puslinch Tract lands, the Hydro One corridor, a looming Ministerial Zoning Order on the Danby lands and urban encroachment.

He said he’d like to see council push its vision forward rather than merely reacting to situations as they present themselves.

“I think 25% (advancing) to 75% (reacting) seems a good scenario,” he said.