Mark Hopper

BLOOMFIELD/HALLOWELL WARD 2

Wellington resident Mark Hopper wants to be elected to Council to bring the County’s finances under control with some vigorous belt tightening.

“I am not running to make unrealistic promises,” he said. “I am running to listen carefully, communicate openly, spend taxpayers’ money responsibly and make decisions based on facts.”

After spending 37 years in senior management, Mr. Hopper sees the following priorities for the next term: get more value from the County’s $100 million budget, reduce taxes, improve roads and sell surplus assets such as town halls and other buildings.

“The Council needs to conduct a comprehensive review of wage structures, internal control mechanisms, and departmental needs assessments across all divisions,” he said. “Senior staff and senior management compensation should remain frozen through the remainder of 2026 and throughout 2027.”

Mr. Hopper said a particular concern is the $3.5 million wage and benefits overage. “The reality is that substantial expenditures clearly occurred and warrant scrutiny.” He said it is also important to maintain existing systems and “hold off on expanding the current infrastructure until the County successfully reduces its substantial $80 million debt burden and a more urgent need emerges. Pursuing additional water development initiatives right now without guaranteed returns would be setting ourselves up for failure.”

When asked about strong mayor powers being used to overturn council decisions, he replied: “The council has already cast their votes on this matter, and that decision stands as final. (Strong mayor powers) would undermine the entire council’s authority.”

Mr. Hopper said his proven leadership, financial experience and strong record of community service make him well suited to tackle the biggest challenge facing the County today. “Debt reduction must be the top priority. We need to establish firm control over expenditures and implement spending discipline across all departments. Every director requires an explicit directive from the mayor, CAO, and Council to reduce their budgets and maintain strict spending oversight throughout the next four years. A budget represents a binding commitment—not a flexible guideline that permits overruns of $3.5 million. Enforce rigorous spending controls. Extend vehicle lifecycles by an additional year and eliminate unnecessary fleet acquisitions.”

He also pointed out that serving on the finance committee of the Quinte Health Care board taught him how to examine budgets, ask difficult questions, work with others and make responsible decisions.

“I believe my combination of leadership experience, financial understanding, community involvement and genuine commitment to the County makes me the strongest choice to represent Ward 2,” he added.