Hey y’all — it’s the most wonderful time of the year: election season.

Nominations are now open for the 2026 municipal election and in Niagara-on-the-Lake the stakes feel higher than ever.

Over the past four years, residents have watched council drift further away from the people it was elected to represent. We’ve seen growing deference to developers, growing hostility toward criticism and a growing tendency to treat resident concerns as obstacles instead of guidance.

Before he was even elected in 2022, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa promised “part-time” involvement in the town’s affairs.

He delivered on that promise.

Under his leadership, we now have a gaping hole where Parliament Oak once stood, a deeply divisive roundabout project many residents opposed, a council chamber overflowing with frustration and an increasing sense among residents that their voices simply no longer matter.

This administration has become defined by detachment.

Questions from the media are ignored when they are inconvenient. Residents who disagree are dismissed as nuisances. Experts hired by the town are treated as unquestionable authorities, while residents with decades of lived experience in this community are brushed aside like they are ignorant.

And now, with nominations open, Zalepa has taken to social media to say he is “seriously weighing” whether to seek another term.

Translation: maybe, maybe not.

For someone supposedly leading this town, it was a remarkably uninspired message. Detached. Casual. Almost bored.

Which is strange, because he never seems too busy for photo opportunities.

Smile cookies? There’s time.

Community optics? Always time.

But when it comes to accountability, difficult conversations or major public concerns, residents are repeatedly reminded he has a “real job.”

If that sounds unfair, ask why he did not attend the packed public presentation by the Jim Burton foundation regarding the future vision for the old hospital lands — one of the most significant conversations currently happening in this community.

The absence spoke volumes.

Because increasingly, many residents feel this administration’s decisions are made long before public consultation begins.

Residents are allowed to speak, certainly. They’re just not allowed to matter.

That attitude has defined this council term.

This is a mayor who once told a resident unhappy with the direction of the town to run for mayor themselves.

Notably, he did not say residents should support him.

Then there is the strange self-congratulation contained in his latest message.

He speaks of a “reset” at town hall. Reset into what, exactly? Into the most divisive and toxic council atmosphere many longtime observers can remember?

Into a council culture where dissent is mocked and councillors who challenge the dominant narrative are openly belittled?

Coun. Sandra O’Connor in particular has repeatedly faced dismissive and condescending treatment during meetings simply for asking difficult questions.

Zalepa also boasts about resolving lawsuits the town allegedly had weak positions on. Yet residents were often shown only one side of those disputes through selectively released documents, while crucial context and defence arguments remained absent from public view.

In one settlement case, the town had already won the initial ruling, but caved when that was appealed by a developer.

That context mattered.

Then there’s stormwater infrastructure — an issue residents spent years warning about while flooding worsened across parts of town. Concerns were repeatedly minimized until investigative reporting by The Lake Report forced the scale of the issue into public focus.

Now, suddenly, fixing stormwater is a priority.

Interesting timing.

Throughout this term, Zalepa has often appeared less interested in listening than in controlling the narrative. Residents, councillors and media alike have experienced unnecessary hostility and dismissiveness from an administration that increasingly behaves as though criticism itself is the problem.

Meanwhile, behind closed doors, politically engaged residents have reportedly been mocked and labelled the “horrible hundred.”

Think about that for a moment.

People who attend meetings, ask questions, write letters and care deeply about the future of their town are reduced to a sneering nickname.

And when leaders begin viewing engaged residents as enemies, meaningful consultation becomes impossible.

That is not leadership.

Leadership requires humility. It requires listening. It requires respect — especially toward people who disagree with you.

Most importantly, leadership requires full commitment to the role.

Niagara-on-the-Lake deserves a mayor fully invested in protecting this community, preserving its character and respecting the people who live here.

After four years of division, dismissiveness and part-time leadership, many residents are ready for someone else to try.

Zalepa should make this easy on everyone and step aside.

Niagara-on-the-Lake deserves better.

editor@niagaranow.com