Natalie Harris is walking away from city politics after one term on Barrie council.
“I will not be running again,” said the Ward 6 councillor, who was elected in 2018. “I hoped that being a city councillor would have allowed me the opportunity to change policy and improve our city on a grand scale, but politics is slow... too slow for me.
“I have found that the connections I have made, and already had, will allow me to do the same over the years, without being part of city council," she added.
Harris revealed her decision while answering five questions posed to all city councillors by BarrieToday. She is the only councillor to say definitively she won’t seek re-election.
“It has been a difficult few years, learning how to deal with online harassment and bullying, but I am such a stronger person now, and thrive in these complicated situations thanks to the ‘practice’ a small group of individuals have provided to me," Harris said. “I have learned so much, and truly cherish the opportunity I was given to represent Ward 6 and the city of Barrie, but it's time for this grammy to have more time with her grandson.”
All members of council were asked by BarrieToday, and all responded, to these questions: Will you be running for re-election in 2022? Why or why not? And in what capacity would you be a candidate if you run again?
Of the other councillors polled about running in the Oct. 24, 2022 city election, two have hinted they might want to move up the political ladder and go for the big chair on council.
“At the current moment, I intend to run for council,” said Coun. Sergio Morales. “Whether it’s for Ward 9 councillor or for mayor, it comes down to how I can best serve Barrie residents, as Barrie needs a full-time mayor the way it’s had a full-time mayor the last 11 years, and deserves nothing less.”
Ward 10 Coun. Mike McCann gave less specific hints about his aspirations.
“I have invested seven years of my life as a councillor in the city of Barrie and I am not stopping now,” he said. “I feel like I am just getting started.
“I believe that Barrie is at a fork in the road. This city needs strong leadership with a strong vision and a group of leaders that can work together and get the job done. Yes, I will be running in some capacity in the 2022 elections. What that will look like, I will discuss further with my family during the Christmas holidays," McCann added.
Mayor Jeff Lehman says he’s still weighing his choices.
“I haven’t made a decision yet with regards to my political future,” said Lehman, who has been Barrie's mayor since 2010. “I usually decide this around Christmastime of the year before the election.”
Coun. Gary Harvey says he’s already made his decision.
“I do intend to file for re-election when the nomination period opens for the 2022 election,” Harvey said. “There is a lot more work to be done across the city, and especially here in Ward 7, as we have set ourselves up for significant growth in the coming years.
“Many pieces have been put in place during this term for an economic boom in the coming years. We have brought forward projects to bring on the phase one of the Salem lands, a significant amount of industrial lands have also been brought forward in Wards 6 and 7, along with most recently the Bryne Drive expansion which is long overdue,” he added.
“These three types of projects will set the city up for an economic boom in the near future. We already see significant builds in the downtown with several new condo projects on the go that will bring thousands of more residents into our downtown permanently, along with our first downtown waterfront hotel which will help boost tourism," Harvey said.
Coun. Clare Riepma says his hat’s in the ring, too.
“I am passionate about Ward 1,” he said. “Yes, I plan to officially declare when the nomination period opens.”
Ward 3 Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl says she will do so as well.
“Yes, I intend to run for re-election once the nomination period opens,” said Kungl, who won her seat in a February 2020 byelection after former councillor Doug Shipley became Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte's MP.
Coun. Jim Harris says he will wait to make his decision.
“It has been a pleasure to serve my fellow residents of Ward 8 over the past three years and to work collectively on items of importance to residents such as neighbourhood safety, detached secondary dwellings, heritage promotion, growth and development, traffic calming, parking and environmental preservation to name a few,” he said. “I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of Ward 8 for the remainder of this term and officially declaring my intentions when the nomination period opens.”
Other councillors were non-committal about running for office again.
“At this time, I’m focused on the job I was elected to do,” said Ward 5 Coun. Robert Thomson. “At the appropriate time, I will make that decision. If I choose to run again, the only capacity I would run in would be councillor for Ward 5, as I believe you should run where you live. This way the decisions made that affect the residents affect me the same way.”
Ward 2 Coun. Keenan Aylwin is still pondering his decision, too.
“I am currently considering all of my options and haven’t made a decision at this point,” he said. “However, I am 100 per cent certain that I will always be involved in the fight for justice, for a more livable future and to ensure that everyone can live a life of dignity in our community.”
Barry Ward, who is both deputy-mayor and the Ward 4 councillor, is also undecided.
“No final decision yet,” he said.
Lehman also offered an opinion about running for public office in his answer.
“I would say that I believe people run for council because they want to be part of making their city a better place,” he said. “They may differ on priorities, but this council still has time to make significant moves.
“With the economy locally starting to boom again, now’s the time for us to invest in the services and the projects that can help address the social issues we see in our community, support hard-hit economic sectors such as tourism and entertainment, and come out of COVID strong,” Lehman added.
Nominations for the Oct. 24, 2022 city election open on May 2, 2022.
