Majority of town councillors seeks re-election

Although it hasn’t been made official, Barrhead town councillor Leslie Penny will be running — and not for councillor, but for mayor.

That is what Penny told the Leader on Aug. 14 as part of its efforts to find out what all the incumbent councillors intentions were in regards to whether or not they would be seeking re-election in the upcoming Oct. 16 municipal election. Potential candidates for municipal councils have until Sept. 18 to officially file their paper work.

“I had to give it a lot of thought and I have decided to put my hat into the ring,” she said, adding one of the reasons why she decided to run for mayor is continuity. “I think it is important to have someone who has served on council step into that role.”

She noted mayor Gerry St. Pierre has made it known from the onset that he would only serve one term. Something he has confirmed (see page 6A for the story).

And after serving four years as councillor she believes she now has the experience necessary to take on an expanded role.

In addition, Penny said she also has the time necessary to fulfill the demands of being mayor.

“I don’t think people realize how much time Gerry [St. Pierre] has spent on behalf of the town. Whether it is making public appearances, visiting with people or attending meeting and conferences,” she said. “It [being mayor] almost has to be someone who is retired or is their own boss because a person would have to have a really forgiving and understanding boss.”

Penny was first elected in 2013. In addition to running for town council, Penny has also run twice provincially for the Liberals.

Coun. Shelley Oswald is also seeking re-election for her fifth term.

Oswald said she is running again for many of the reasons she first decided to run for municipal office in 2004.

“I love the challenge of helping building and serving the community, but on top of all of that I just like the entire process of local government,” she said. “I love talking about where the community is going, finding ways to get there and then seeing the end results.”

However, above everything else Oswald said she just likes helping people.

Enjoying the process is something Coun. Don Smith understands and it is part of the reason why he is running for his sixth consecutive term on council.

Smith is Barrhead’s longest serving councillor, being first elected in 2001.

After spending 14 1/2 years on the Barrhead Fire Department, decided he wanted to serve the community, but in a different capacity.

“I have really enjoy being on council and the whole process of trying to make the best decisions for the community,” he said. “And I believe I still have something I can contribute and help the community move forward.”

Smith added he is not sure what the issues will be for the community going into the future.

“The last term was a challenging one and I haven’t had a chance to really think about what the next four years holds for town council. I’m sure some of it will be dealing with the work we have already started, such as coming to a recreation agreement [with the County of Barrhead],” he said.

Two-term Coun. Ty Assaf said in all likelihood he will seek another term.

“I’m about 98 per cent sure I will run again,” he said. “It has been a blast and I really love this community and if I can contribute in some way I am happy to do so, but being on council is a big commitment in terms of time and energy and I want to be sure it is a commitment I can fulfill before making my final decision. ”

Coun. Ryan Warehime, however, has made his final decision and it is not to seek re-election.

“My life has changed since I first ran [2013]. Four years is a long time and I have other things on the go,” he said. “But I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested to have a go and run because it was a great experience.”

The Leader also contacted Coun. Roy Ulmer, but as of deadline we received no reply.