The regular Council meeting on October 3 will be the last for the current council and the last currently scheduled for this year so there will be little news from meetings for a while. But of course the upcoming Municipal election is news and, as well as this News Blog, other local media have been providing good coverage. One often overlooked source of news is Your TV, the Cogeco local channel (700 HD). Not everyone has Cogeco TV or thinks to look online, but Cogeco does a great job producing news videos and as well as showing them on TV, they are also available on the Internet. Host Mark Johnston has interviewed candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Port Hope and Cobourg; below are the four videos for the Cobourg Candidates.
All videos are 27 minutes.
Suzanne Séguin, Candidate for Deputy Mayor
Nicole Beatty, Candidate for Deputy Mayor
John Henderson, Candidate for Mayor
Lucas Cleveland, Candidate for Mayor
Other News and Information Sources on Election
- Northumberland News – Election news
- Cobourg Internet Municipal Election page
- Cobourg Taxpayers Association – Election Information and Critiques
Print Article:
I am having a hard time choosing who to vote for in upcoming Cobourg election. Did have a chance to speak with one candidate at my home.
Definitely not voting for incumbents.
Looking for someone non-partisan, and who is not a technocrat, bureaucrat
or career pol, and who understands we are a small town.
A big PLUS to those who won’t vote for consultants unless it’s a dire emergency and those who consider residents citizens rather than
”taxpayers “.
And thank goodness there were no acclaimed seats.
Eastender,
Hopefully many Cobourg residents are like you and giving serious thought regarding their municipal election vote.
Regarding acclamation:
https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/no-ballot-required
139 mayors/reeves acclaimed. 118 in 2018, 104 in 2014
32 entire councils acclaimed. 23 in 2018, 18 in 2014
Very disturbing trends.
Two of the reasons given:
Full time job, not part time
Low pay
Hot Take:
Mayors —
One is very good at handling people
One is excellent at working a room
Both skills are great for sales not so great for action.
Deputy Mayors —
One has her sights on something outside of hometown pride
One loves this job
One decision is easier than the other.
I can say that I have never been a fan of DM Seguin and I voted for Nic Bea as Councilor in the last election; however these last 4 years have soured my opinion of N.B. as a potential DM. Her leftist ideals seem to stray away from the core business of Municipal government. Her ambition and over eagerness to seek a Provincial/Federal platform hurt her in the eyes of many. That being said, she is a wonderful community activist, engaging and energetic and frankly her talents are best suited outside of Government, at any level – political office is where she can have the least impact. Current DM Seguin, while I certainly didn’t agree with many of her decisions/opinions during the past term, is by default my only choice. If she sticks to the script, helps runs the town as a business, and makes decisions in the interest of the constituents, she should be ok. Also, she would be wise to align her soundbites with Cleveland, he is viewed as progressive, a change agent and a new face – and he will likely become the next Mayor.
This has been very useful John – as a non cogeco user, I wld not normally have the benefit of being able to listen to these interviews. As always, you have been of great service to the community.
CT,
As I noted in my prior comment, Cogego will be running a mayor and deputy mayor debates on Oct 6. I believe they will be posting it online as well as televising it. I’m sure JD will make it available if he can.
As always, well done John. You keep us well informed and I toot your horn every chance I get. Keep up the good work. I caught the tail end of John Henderson’s interview last night but will catch up the rest on YouTube via your links – thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for putting this on the blog – honestly, were it not for Cobourg Blog I would be hard pressed to find out about all the candidates. I know I know, I could have done the research but I’ve got 2 kids and a business to run so it’s hard to find the time. Really appreciate the effort you’ve made here.
Whoever is elected from the group above—I would like them commit to serve the Town for the full 4 year term and not consider running for any Provincial or Federal nominations in the middle of their term.
I learned more about the goings-on at the County level from the Mayor’s interview than I have in his 4 years sitting as the Town’s representative. (does anyone else feel likewise?) Without being critical–and, as a point of good governance and effectiveness, I think the Mayor’s office–regardless of the successful candidate, should defer some County and other meaningful numerous Board appointments to other Councilors starting this fall.
Dunkirk,
Agree in part.
Maybe Henderson is finally getting the message that he should have been informing Cobourg Council and residents about County activities all during his term. Too late now.
As to County and Board appointments, I think the appointments should go to the member(s) of Council who are most qualified and interested.
John,
Thank you very much for this.
I’m glad that Cogeco decided to put these interviews online and that you chose to make these interviews available on your blog.
I understand that Cogeco (Your TV) will be televising mayor and deputy mayor debates on Oct 6 and like these interviews, will be available online.
With so few local media sources available, Cobourg residents are in great need of this information in order to make informed, wise election decisions.
Well done John.
Last Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce roundtables with the Cobourg candidates (municipal and school trustee) at the Lions Centre gave voters almost two and a half hours of exposure to the personalities on the ballot. Mayor Henderson and Councillor Darling were unable to attend, but anyone who wanted to evaluate the candidates face to face had their chance. No media were in evidence, and the room was about half full.