Coun. Jill St. Amant is ready to provide greater representation to the town she has called home for 40 years.
Wrapping up her first term as councillor, St. Amant has become the first candidate to enter the Penetanguishene race for Mayor in the 2022 municipal elections slated for October 24. (Recently, incumbent Mayor Doug Leroux announced he would not be running for re-election as mayor, but instead will be campaigning for a councillor seat.)
“I believe that the decisions that I make are for the good of everyone, and not just serving select people,” said St. Amant. “I try very hard to look at it from multiple perspectives, and look at the choice that I believe would be best for the greater good.”
St. Amant has been a team player for much of her personal and professional life, as well as during her time on council.
Along with her husband Frank whom she has been married to over the past two decades, the church-active mother of four is well-acquainted with multiple generations and viewpoints through her home life, which includes living with her mother, her daughter and son-in-law, and several grandchildren.
“I have a good idea of some of the issues that many people face, depending on their own circumstances,” St. Amant noted. “I live in a household with four different generations, so I can see things from many different perspectives.”
As a past president of the Rotary Club of Penetanguishene and through many municipal committees prior to her time as councillor, St. Amant felt those roles strengthened her connection to the community. And having been involved within financial services for the past 30 years, including five years as a bank branch manager, her insight into money is grounded from a residential perspective.
One such cost St. Amant could face as mayor would be the roughly $374,000 policing bill for the Central North Correctional Centre, which incumbent mayor Leroux has been urging Solicitor General Sylvia Jones to successfully resolve on residents’ behalf.
“I don’t think there’s been anything wrong with the way things have been done; but I think we need to maybe be a bit more assertive in the approach as far as getting together, whether it be with the Solicitor General (or other authorities),” stated St. Amant.
“There have been a lot of behind-the-scenes things happening that people don’t always see. But I honestly think that we could have recruited the residents to be more vocal. And the press. Just… bring it more to the forefront.
“Sometimes you have to make some noise to be able to get the results that you want.”
St. Amant praised the mechanisms in place for many large-scale projects which could transform the town in years to come, including an eye toward increasing tourism for the “lovely” waterfront and “gorgeous” town on the shores of Georgian Bay.
However, she noted that resident concerns would always be embraced, and pointed to the 2023 budget survey currently on the Connect Penetanguishene website, which would allow townsfolk to have their say.
“As the mayor,” St. Amant explained, “you may get final say if there’s a tied vote but you are only one vote at the table. I truly believe in trying to get the public involved as much as possible, in sharing the things that they would like to see and they’re comfortable with.
“The challenges we face are from a growth point-of-view; there are lots of developments that are getting ready to go… (and) we’re in great shape from a servicing perspective,” noted St. Amant.
“It’s coming up with a balance for things to continue to grow, but still continue to have a small-town feeling,” she said, adding that to have services for the town to provide, growth would be required for increasing the tax base.
In the months leading up to election day, St. Amant is going to be busy addressing the diversity of the townsfolk with her message: actions speak louder than words.
“I will be going out door knocking, talking to people. To me, that’s what it is all about; getting out there, and getting them to know who I am and what I stand for.”
Information on the Penetanguishene municipal election can be found on the Town of Penetanguishene website.
