It’s an interesting election year.
Council is shrinking to just six voices (plus the mayor) representing taxpayers, Doug Ford is going to appoint Niagara a regional czar instead of the people electing one and give mayors superpowers to override the majority of council — all while public information seems to be harder and harder to come by for residents asking questions about what’s happening in their neighbourhood.
In the last four years, council has approved several hotel projects — some smack in the middle of historic residential neighbourhoods — with more aggressive developments in the pipeline, including a massive residential highrise project in Glendale.
Residents in Old Town are fed up. Many semi-urban Virgilites are lamenting the continued construction on roads, with unfinished new housing scarring the nice streets of Homestead.
Rural residents don’t really care about hotels. They just want to be able to cut down nuisance trees without wearing a balaclava.
Then there are the floods. A whole lot of water in people’s basements and aging infrastructure while we have a “go-go-go” provincial leader who spends more time in private meetings with developers than at Queen’s Park — all while threatening amalgamation and taking away our distinct identities, leaving larger cities in control and us without a say.
If you’re thinking it sounds like democracy is being eroded, you wouldn’t be crazy.
With less representation, Doug Ford’s puppet masters planting agents into the region (our outgoing lordly mayor has applied for the job) and the province pushing more and more directives at small municipalities, our control is being taken away. There’s no arguing that.
Some will say it’s still democratic because we elected Ford. Some will say the same if our new mayor decides to use strong mayor powers to overturn a democratic decision of council — note, only two candidates have said they would consider using those powers, Ford-friendly Erwin Wiens and failed Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser. Vaughn Goettler has decried the use of the powers as undemocratic.
And so, as we can see, this election is very much laced with provincial overtones.
That’s not even bringing amalgamation fully into the picture. Talk on the streets among some Conservatives is that Ford still plans to amalgamate Niagara, perhaps even moreso if he doesn’t get his pick as mayor in NOTL.
Apparently, with the NDP holding three of Niagara’s four provincial seats — the exception being West Lincoln, where a PC candidate could shoot a puppy and still win — Ford figures he has nothing to lose by alienating an entire region of voters. Because nobody here likes him anyway.
Which brings us to our dissection of NOTL’s candidates.
We want to preface this by saying they’re all good people, we have good relationships with all of them and would share a drink together.
Erwin Wiens is a farmer, former cop, 2023 Grape King and involved in his church. He’s the current deputy mayor, and his wife may be in line for sainthood thanks to all of her charitable and community endeavours.
Vaughn Goettler is a self-made success story. Mr. Furnace. He and his wife are huge philanthropists, investing millions in NOTL for green initiatives and beyond.
Andrea Kaiser is a wine industry leader with her own brand and has spent 11 years on regional council representing our wee town. She also served on town council from 2010 to 2014.
But this isn’t a popularity contest (nor should it be).
Let’s start with Wiens, our first double-edged sword.
On one hand, Wiens has a seat at the table with Ford. He endorsed the premier during a campaign stop at the Niagara District Airport during the provincial election and is often seen rubbing elbows with him when he visits Niagara.
But at the same time, he’s sitting at a table with Doug Ford — the deer-in-the-headlights mascot for the party that’s critically underfunding health care and education, launching an open assault on democracy and stopping public access to things like the premier’s phone records.
That endorsement sort of speaks for itself. Wiens says he’s the only one who can fight Ford on amalgamation.
He’s the candidate for development, the candidate for the status quo.
Goettler is the anti-Zalepa and seems to be Wiens’ person to beat. He comes with self-made strength and experience running complex corporations on an international scale, but as a first-time politician, he will need to learn the ropes (Carney did it and he’s doing a pretty swell job).
Goettler says he’ll stand up to the province when it tries to bully our historic town and will be focused on responsible and sympathetic development, which he says means slowing the roll for a bit.
Kaiser’s years of experience give her a unique advantage at the region bargaining table, but as a regional councillor she has been sort of limp.
She’s rarely heard from, isn’t out speaking about what she’s doing and works multiple positions for her real job.
She’s run several times unsuccessfully for the Liberals at the federal and provincial level, so it’s reasonable to wonder where her aspirations truly lie. She would have left her regional council gig and job if she became an MP.
In May she told The Lake Report the pay for being lord mayor isn’t enough to merit full-time hours, but in September debates suggested she would commit 60 or 70 hours a week, while keeping her real job. She’ll find the time, somehow.
Maybe.
Unfortunately, the job requires someone incredibly dedicated right now.
Commendably, Kaiser has fought to adjust NOTL’s share of the regional policing budget (which costs NOTL taxpayers way too much), but seems to have spoken more about it during the election than in the last four years combined. That’s something all of our candidates should be questioning.
Talking to people in NOTL and looking at signs around town, it seems the real race is between Goettler and Wiens, and it seems to be pretty distinct where the signs are.
The farmers put out lots of Wiens signs along the rows of grapes and trees. Old Town is littered with Goettler signs. Other areas are well mixed.
One thing to be wary of in this election is splitting votes. With this election so polarized and partisan politics in play in our daily lives more than ever, people who want to see change need to be careful.
Kaiser is a Liberal. Goettler has been a Conservative and Liberal, but his campaign is driven by left-leaning ideologies.
Wiens is true blue and will give up battles to save money from being spent on legal fees for losing Ontario Land Tribunal battles. He’s been vocal about that.
But at the end of the day, we need someone who can get Ford to respect us until we can try again to vote him out.
The question, I guess, becomes, what’s the best strategy? Kissing Ford’s feet so he doesn’t throw a tantrum and amalgamate us? Or putting the heat on and telling him no?
If you want the heat on, call Mr. Furnace today. If you want more of the same, pick Wiens. Of course, it’s not really that simple. But what is?
Just be sure to vote.
Strategic voting might be the best choice. It would be a real shame if the winner got in with just 35 per cent of the popular vote because two of the three mayoral candidates split the vote, effectively handing the election over.
A lot to consider.
