Steve Ferguson

Office of Mayor

Steve Ferguson says that he has absolutely adored his last four years representing South Marysburgh around the horseshoe. His passion and dedication to public service has shone through over the past four years, and a run for mayor was the next logical step for someone looking to delve deeper into local politics. With less than a week to go before the votes are tabulated, Ferguson is wishing he had more hours in the day. There are significantly more obligations when it’s the mayor’s position. It’s a hectic schedule for anyone.

“With the mayor’s position, stuff comes at you from 360 degrees. There’s the media stuff, the public events, the interviews and town hall meetings. What you plan to do in the morning can change rather quickly depending on the priorities. It’s an interesting process and I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t enjoyed every second of it,” says Ferguson.

The whole process has been both invigorating and exhausting for Ferguson, and he shows no signs of stopping until he is seated comfortably in the Mayor’s chair. There is a mountain of paperwork and emails to write, and although they may not be the exciting parts of the campaign, they are essential to his success. On Monday morning, Ferguson was up at 4 a.m. to handle the backlog of emails and was still going strong into the evening doing interviews for the local press. Ferguson says if you’re not willing to make that type of commitment then don’t put your hand up. In the final days up to the election, it’s making sure that he can get as much facetime with the people of the County as possible. His favourite part of the campaign so far has been out on the street, dealing one-onone with people or in small groups.

“Going door-to-door and staring eyeball to eyeball with the people that are affected most by the decisions we make, is the also the chance for me to prove my integrity and honesty. I want to concentrate on doing more of that in the final moments of my campaign,” says Ferguson.

As far as the top concerns facing the County, Ferguson says that with the mayor’s position it depends on the day, and it depends on where you are campaigning in the County. One day it could be short-term accommodations, the next day it could be affordable housing. It’s about prioritizing the needs of all eight Wards without alienating anyone and making sure everything accomplished is communicated properly.

Ferguson says that the short-term accommodation issue has risen so quickly with all of the media platforms out there, and in a small amount of time has managed to change the face of some of the towns and villages of the County.

“It’s worrisome seeing the charm of villages like Bloomfield and Wellington evaporating and being transformed into commercial enterprises. This issue is top of mind to a lot of people in the County,” says Ferguson.

The building of the new hospital, attracting more doctors to the County, food insecurity and property taxes are also major concerns for Ferguson. As far as the condition of roads, Ferguson says we must keep pounding the upper levels of government for support on this issue. He also says that it may be coming to a breaking point soon where we may have to take some of the 1,100 kilometres of roads and turn them back into hard-packed gravel. Ferguson says we either need government funding or new revenue streams to help deal with our roads. They won’t be fixed any other way. Ferguson is also in favour of a four per cent tourist tax, which the County is now allowed to apply.

In regard to the future council, Ferguson is excited about the new energies that will be present around the horseshoe, but warns any new councillors that it will be a busy fall and winter for the horseshoe and many things will have to be decided upon within the first few months. There are many exciting things that the next council will be instrumental in defining. Ferguson hopes that his hard work and dedication will solidify his mayoral seat aspiration.