My Hometown
Between 2014-2022, I was mayor of a small town in Southwestern Ontario. The Township of Centre Wellington was formed in 1999 when the Town of Fergus, Village of Elora and a few surrounding hamlets and farming communities amalgamated as part of the massive province-wide municipal restructuring initiative.
Centre Wellington was my hometown. It was where I went to school, where I created memories with my six siblings, where I played all kinds of sports, the muddy rivers where I swam, where I ate and drank with my buddies, where I married my high school sweetheart, and where I raised my two kids. And then in 2014, I became the Town’s fourth mayor.
Promising to “get things done”, I ran two successful election campaigns in my hometown. Then, after eight years, I decided to hang up my “mayor skates”. Many were surprised and asked me why. My honest off-the-cuff response was … “8 years in the fishbowl of local politics is enough.”
Small Town Politics
I’m preaching to the choir when speaking with other local leaders about how challenging it is being an elected councillor in a small town. You know everyone and everyone knows you! Every decision is scrutinized; every comment criticized; and every denied request condemned. And nasty comments are plastered all over social media!
But it doesn’t end there in a small town. In a small town, you run into the very same people at the local grocery store, in the arena, at the community centre, on the soccer field, in the restaurant, and taking your dog for a walk. Reminds me of the lyrics from the Police’s 1983 hit song “every move you make, I’ll be watching you”.
I decided to write down some of my stories from my 8 years as a small-town mayor. I hope that these stories resonate with other local leaders who are working hard to serve their communities – or are in the process of deciding to run for office. Hopefully, my lessons learned will come in handy as you navigate the dynamics of small-town leadership. (The other reason I am doing this is because it is cathartic for me to stroll down memory lane 😊.)
Campaigning
From 2010-2014, I served as a member of council. While I did my best to contribute, I was unhappy with our priorities, and I disliked our lack of transparency in making decisions. I decided to run for mayor in the 2014. My campaign pitch was to refocus Centre Wellington on delivering core services and making real progress in rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges.
The 2014 election campaign was tough because I was running against a two-time incumbent mayor with deep community ties. However, the 2018 campaign was tougher because it got personal. In 2014, my opponent and I stuck to discussing policies and our visions for the future. It was actually quite civil. My opponent in 2018, on the other hand, got personal. Playing fast and lose with the facts, he questioned my ethics and personal integrity. In addition to being a long-time councillor with an axe to grind, he also happened to be a “family friend”. This was a very difficult campaign that took a toll on my whole team.
Campaigning in a small town gets tricky when friends and family get involved. I still feel bad when I remember my mother-in-law’s tears at our 2018 victory party as she recalled the nasty things said about me during the long six-month campaign.
As my campaign manager for both elections, my wife Michelle did an incredible job in leading us to two overwhelming victories. Her comment at the end of the 2018 campaign says it all, “I’m glad we won, but I will never do this again”.
Lesson Learned
We need good local leaders, so I applaud those of you who are in a place of leadership or are deciding whether or not to take the plunge and run for office. Here are my suggestions:
- Take the high road. Always. Even when you opponent gets nasty and says untrue things about you. Don’t retaliate. To some, politics is a game, and they think that slinging mud at their opponents is the way to win. Don’t fall for it! Stick to your principles and demonstrate integrity. Put all your energy into sharing with others how you intend on making your community a better place to live.
- Focus on action. Focus your campaign on what you intend to do. Talk is cheap. People are sick and tired of politicians who just say all the right things to get votes. Be authentic. Only make promises that you know you will be able to keep. We need local leaders who are motivated more by action than listening to the sounds of their own voices.
- Protect your family and friends. Local politics can get messy in a hurry. I know family and friends will want to help with your campaign. But remember that you decided to run for office, not them! They will be negatively impacted by the nasty comments that get thrown at you. If I had to do it over again, I would take more care to protect family members by limiting their involvement to support roles.
