Andrea Kaiser has always had ambitions to run for lord mayor one of these days, but a looming shakeup at Niagara Region pushed her to act now.
Kaiser, who represents Niagara-on-the-Lake on regional council, is running for the town’s top elected job as it faces the possible loss of one of its two seats at the regional table.
Bill 100 would shrink regional council from 32 members to 13: the 12 local mayors and a regional chair, starting in the 2026–2030 term. If passed, it would eliminate Kaiser’s current seat, leaving NOTL represented at the region by its lord mayor alone.
In an interview, Kaiser said the proposed regional changes are the biggest threat facing the town right now, especially with the possibility of the province of Ontario appointing the regional chair and expanding the powers of the role — she said she perceives this process as “undemocratic.”
“This new regional chair will have veto powers over the mayors, and that’s shocking to me,” Kaiser said. “Someone with so much power at the region, who is appointed and would override decisions of those publicly elected.”
Kaiser said she is also “very, very concerned” about the potential weighting of mayors at the region and is “absolutely opposed to any form of amalgamation.”
“I will do everything within my power and ability to make sure Niagara-on-the-Lake stays whole as a municipality and that we have a strong voice.”
Kaiser said before all of this came about, her plan was to seek another four years as a regional councillor.
“I had planned to run for mayor after this term,” she said. “There’s some work and some things that I would like to finish at the region.”
Her roots in NOTL go back decades.
Kaiser moved to NOTL when she was five, grew up on Line 3 and later raised her children in the community. She is the daughter of the late Karl Kaiser, a co-founder of the Inniskillin estate winery, and has also worked in the local wine industry, including about two decades at Reif Estate Winery.
She served as a NOTL councillor from 2003 to 2014. She has held the role as the town’s regional councillor since 2022 and now lives in Queenston.
“I think I have a lot to offer to Niagara-on-the-Lake,” she said. “It’s home. It’s always been home.”
Kaiser said her campaign will focus on what she sees as a divide in the community.
“I’ve seen that there seems to be this notion of us versus them in the last, maybe, eight years,” she said. “I really want to work hard to find more commonalities within residents.”
She said her years working for the region and town showed her that NOTL needs better transit, seniors services and more affordable housing, which she said she plans to address.
In the coming months, she plans to meet with residents and associations “to get a better sense of residents’ concerns.”
“I feel like a lot of residents, like in talking to them, don’t feel heard,” she said.
Kaiser said she would still have another part-time job if elected as lord mayor.
“But that’s not to say that I wouldn’t put in full-time hours.”
Her comments come after an April 29 opinion column published in The Lake Report by Garth Turner that said fellow candidate Vaughn Goettler “won’t be a part-time politician.”
“I read that,” said Kaiser. “I’m kind of concerned.”
She said there is a perception that candidates who cannot work full time “are not going to do a good job,” adding that, at the current salary, only a small number of people in the community can afford to take on the role full-time.
“I just feel all candidates should have equal ground and equal access to the position,” she said.
The 2026 salary for the lord mayor is is set at $55,320.20, according to town communications staff.
She said if NOTL residents want a full-time mayor, “then you need to be prepared to pay a wage that makes sense for a position of full-time.”
Kaiser also weighed in on several current town issues.
On the former hospital site, she said community use and the overall look of the building is key.
“If there is a little bit of extra parking to accommodate, that can’t be a bad thing, I don’t think,” she said. “But I think the priority has to be on the community use and how it also looks.”
Kaiser said she spent a number of years on the municipal heritage committee and understands how important streetscapes are.
She said the parking debate may have overshadowed some of the more community-focused aspects of staff’s reports.
“The fear of it being used for parking is real,” she said, “but I think if you sort of take a closer look at the structure that’s going to come out, there is a significant (amount) that is related to cultural and community use.”
Asked about the James A. Burton & Family Foundation’s proposal for the site, Kaiser said she does not know enough about it yet to comment.
On Pride flag raisings, amid discussions lately about municipalities paying to take part in related events, Kaiser said, “I don’t think support should come at a price tag.”
She also commented on a directive issued in February by the town’s chief administrative officer limiting how staff respond to media questions.
“I am very much about being an open book and transparent.”
She said elected officials should explain their decisions, even when unpopular.
“I’m okay to have those hard conversations,” Kaiser said.
On bylaw enforcement, she said rules should be applied fairly.
She said she largely agrees with the town’s “engage, educate, enforce” approach, but noted “every case is different.”
If elected, Kaiser said she would focus on listening, helping residents understand decisions and being open to new information.
“Making people feel heard and actually listening is really important,” she said.
“I can also have my opinions changed by facts and conversations.”
Kaiser is not looking at the role as a one-term plan. She said she would consider running again if residents support her leadership.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “I’m committed to Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
