Comment
For mayor
It’s time to choose the next council. As I’ve done since 2008, I’m putting my choices on the record. These endorsements are mine alone—not those of this newspaper or its publisher. Approval, outrage and everything in between: my email address is below.
All three are good men, but Ernie Margetson is uniquely well equipped to lead the next term of council. He has the right balance of private and public experience, a genuine desire to bridge the cultural seams that stitch Prince Edward County together, and he has the doggedness to see the job done well.
The place matters to Margetson. It’s in his bones. He was raised in Melville on the east end of Consecon Lake, where he still lives. He started in construction with Harvey McFarland, earned an engineering degree, and, after amalgamation, worked as deputy engineer for the municipality, where he was responsible for the County’s complex array of waterworks systems. He knows the County’s infrastructure assets better than most.
Margetson followed his public-sector experience by moving to the private sector, where he guided the development of several wineries and their facilities during a wave of investment in the first couple of decades of the millennium. He served on council from 2018 to 2022 as Hillier’s representative.
He is passionate about preserving the County’s rural character. He managed the preservation and restoration of several of the County’s most historic and majestic barns—buildings that would otherwise be lost to time and neglect. In doing so, he has given these proud, majestic structures new purpose.
He sees the stories, ambitions, and creativity in old County homes and properties that others miss. Crucially, he has the communication skills and genuine passion to help others see it too.
Margetson has made a back-to-basics approach to local government a central campaign message. He thinks the County is trying to do too much that is beyond its mandate and capability. He worries municipal debt has expanded without clear direction or strategy. He wants more rigour in spending. He wants a defined purpose for local government—and for it to work better for all residents.
As a leader, Ernie Margetson wants to bring together the competing visions of what the County is and what it can be. During his term representing Hillier, I found him a measured, balanced and reasoned voice at the council table. He feels he can help heal divisions, bridge rivalries and reconcile competing visions.
Achieving both ambitions—redefining Shire Hall’s purpose and bringing people together— is a big ask, but if anybody can pull it off, it is Ernie Margetson.
Brad Nieman is a decent and thoroughly likeable guy. He raised important issues during two terms on council. He persistently challenged assumptions presented as fact. His experience across municipal operations gave him insight into separating critical needs from fluffy wants.
He knows how much a truck, grader, or loader costs and how long each machine should last. He knows how many people are necessary to operate a water plant.
The plans he outlined during the campaign often hit the right notes, but are more aspirational than actionable. He hasn’t clearly explained why he wants to be mayor, beyond saying he has the time for the job and sees it as the next step in his municipal career.
Nieman has made clear what concerns him about municipal government. He has been less persuasive about how he would use the mayor’s office to address those concerns.
Scrutiny is not the same as setting a new direction. Nieman’s record has not persuaded me that he can build the support needed to deliver the change he advocates.
Terry Shortt is a good communicator with a knack for distilling issues into accessible sound bites. But he has been out of municipal politics for eight years. He clearly loves his community and is willing to do the work to serve it as best he can.
Like the other mayoral candidates, he is a lifelong resident of the County and has an abiding passion for the place. Shortt communicates his priorities effectively. But I have not heard a sufficiently clear explanation of how he would address the County’s structural financial and infrastructure challenges.
Ernie Margetson’s back-to-basics approach offers a clear starting point: define what municipal government should do, bring its commitments into line with its capabilities, and exercise greater discipline over spending.
Ernie Margetson is the clear choice.
Well that is your pick and fair enough as each voter weighs their preference. But I feel it is a little rich to state that Margetson is the “clear” choice. That would imply he is leaps and bounds ahead of the other Candidates and I do not believe that is the case. His Council record from 2019 – 2022 would not support any stronger leadership than his opposition Candidates. That’s how I see it.
Brad Nieman knows going in that he will be declaring a Conflict of Interest regarding the Loyalist Heights subdivision. He has confirmed this intention, and I respect that. But, it also means as Mayor he would be unable to break a Tie Vote when this comes before Council. He may very well make a good Mayor, I honestly wouldn’t know, but a known Conflict declaration before even being elected to office?
I’d much prefer someone who is able to reset Shire Hall and take it back to basics, while keeping an eye on our future. Margetson or Shortt? Time will tell.
With 14 votes on Council, the Mayor would rarely if ever break a tie vote. That’s a pretty weak attempt to slight Brad!
No slight intended.
I’ve heard good things about Brad, and he has been very honest with his intentions when I asked him about this. That’s in his favour to be quite sure. But a Conflict still stands. All the residents lose one vote in Council when any member declares a conflict. Then we stand to lose again if a tie vote needs to be broken – even if it’s only once.