Incumbent Mayor Stewart Strathearn sees the paths forward to Midland’s growth and prosperity, and wants to continue at the helm for the journey.
Seeking a second term of office, Strathearn has returned as a mayoral candidate for the 2022 municipal election to be held on October 24. (Fellow councillors Bill Gordon and Jonathan Main have also announced intentions for the mayor’s seat.)
“I’ve been privileged to lead council and staff through the last four years, two years of it being a pandemic,” said Strathearn, “and working with what you might say is a disparate group of individuals – particularly with respect to council who came together in difficult times to move the needle forward for the town of Midland in terms of growth and getting things done at town hall.”
“I think I’ve demonstrated my ability to bring staff and council together to achieve some pretty significant results.”
Strathearn, 70, grew up in Midland before leaving to obtain a Fish & Wildlife Biology degree at the University of Guelph. After co-founding a world-leading company and research station to track fish, he parted ways as a strategic business developer with awards for innovation, export and employee relations.
After retirement, he and his wife Joan moved back to the area. His re-entry into Midland’s municipal politics happened in 2010 through participation in Midland Community, a group that sought to provide information on town-hall activities.
In 2014, Strathearn won the seat to represent Ward 3, and in 2018 became mayor of Midland through a narrow three-way race for the position.
“One of the things I ran on last time was excellent services and reasonable taxes,” he stated, noting that the definition of 'reasonable' varies per person.
“It’s important to ensure that that growth continues… in a way that doesn’t damage the character of the town – those things that draw people to Midland in the first place,” said Strathearn. “Through that growth, you get the assessment base that allows you to spread the cost.”
Unfinished business also played a role in his decision to run again.
“I’d like to see Midland Bay Landing,” Strathearn remarked. “It’s been in the works now for about 10 years, and we’re close to getting an arrangement with a proponent, whoever that might be; that tender closes next week.
“That process definitely won’t be just one council; you’re looking at multiple councils to fulfill that. But I think that getting it off on the right foot is important, and I believe I’m capable of doing that.”
Affordable and attainable housing will likely be the biggest challenge that Midland faces in the next four years, according to Strathearn. Attracting skilled labour to Midland is one aspect, but providing the incentive to stay through affordable housing tools would be the key to retaining them.
“My business background was in strategic business development partnerships globally and also restructuring. I think I have the ability to continue to make these things work to a solution in these issues.”
Strathearn noted that even through constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and with full credit to council, his accomplishments as mayor included: Completing the King Street Rejuvenation project on time and under budget; helping to support assisted housing through Shelter Now; putting tools in place to move the housing agenda forward, citing land along Balm Beach Road as an example; SCRAM enforcement assistance in the downtown core; and the county partnership of the community safety and well-being plan.
“A lot of things happened despite COVID,” Strathearn expressed, pointing to less visible projects than new playgrounds or improvements to town hall. He added that funding through grants played a large role in achieving several projects.
“We put in a person who writes grants and is very successful; we’re already at about $5 million in grants in the municipality, which is a bit of a record. And we expect to see more grants as a result of making that focused move.”
What Strathearn would like to see for the upcoming election is much greater community involvement on the municipal level where people can affect change directly, even if it does ask a lot of those community members.
“I would like to see people step forward and run for office,” he stated.
“When you look at the last election, (35.51 percent) actually came out and voted. The turnover at Simcoe County council for example, which is mayors and deputy mayors from municipalities, is likely to be somewhere between 50 to 70 per cent – not because people got voted out, but because they’re not running.
“I think it’s important that people, if they pay attention – especially in Midland, we’re in a bit of an inflection point here – that they actually get out and vote,” said Strathearn.
Information on the Midland municipal election can be found on the Town of Midland website.
