Joanne Fralick

BLOOMFIELD/HALLOWELL WARD 2

Joanne Fralick is running for council because she believes that County residents should get full value for their tax dollars.

“Residents deserve to understand not only how much we are spending, but what they are receiving for that money,” the Ward 2 candidate said. “I will ask Council to examine major expenditures, contracts, consultants, administrative costs and capital projects more closely, and establish clear measurements that show whether programs are achieving their intended results. Council’s goal should be to spend wisely and get better results.”

Born and raised on a chicken farm in Tweed, the journalist and author promises to listen to her constituents and to get them the answers they need. “I’m not running to tell people what they want to hear. I’m running to bring an independent community voice to the horseshoe. I will be the one who listens, asks your tough questions, and remembers that government is supposed to work for the people who live here.”

While financial integrity tops her agenda, Ms. Fralick points to infrastructure as her second priority. “Roads are one of the most important services residents receive from the municipality. I support a disciplined, long-term approach to road maintenance and rehabilitation, concentrating on preventative maintenance before smaller repairs become major reconstruction projects.”

On the issue of tax increases, she says no candidate should promise lowering taxes without explaining what services or infrastructure would have to be sacrificed. “Council has a responsibility to explore better efficiencies and alternative sources of revenue instead of asking taxpayers for more. It will mean scrutinizing spending, pursuing provincial and federal funding, making the best use of revenues such as the Municipal Accommodation Tax, and ensuring that future growth pays its appropriate share of the infrastructure it requires.”

Ms. Fralick, a Macaulay Village resident, said the County should look at small solutions to the housing crisis. “I will focus on building and protecting genuinely affordable housing, encouraging small-scale options such as tinyhome villages and secondary suites. We also need to support a year-round local economy where people can earn a living, not continue to create more low-wage seasonal jobs. Affordability is about whether a young family, a worker or a senior can afford to live here and still feel that this is their home.”

The Ward 2 candidate is opposed to the Wellington-to-Picton water pipeline and feels there is no need for strong mayor powers, adding, “I equate strong mayor powers to the analogy of a bully in the schoolyard. Do it my way or else.”

She feels the biggest challenge facing the County in the near future is managing growth without losing the sense of community. “It must be the right growth: affordable, that healthcare and infrastructure can support, and that provides truly affordable housing for local employees. I will advocate for better long-term planning, careful financial management and clear accountability for major projects, while making sure developers pay their fair share of growth-related costs. We need to welcome future growth without pricing our own families, workers, and seniors out of it — and without losing the sense of place that makes the County home.”