Wolford residents filled the municipal hall in Easton’s Corners on Monday, Sept. 21, to hear from candidates seeking their votes in the upcoming municipal election.
The Merrickville-Wolford Chamber of Commerce hosted the meeting for mayoral and Wolford council candidates. It was the first of two candidate events organized by the chamber.
Residents were asked to submit questions in advance. Chamber president Deanna Perry said the approach was intended to avoid duplication and give each candidate the same amount of time to respond.
“So ultimately, having an open mic doesn’t guarantee that every candidate will be able to answer a question that is open to them. We wanted to make sure that questions were coming from residents and each candidate would have the same amount of time to answer the questions presented,” Perry said.
Some residents questioned the chamber’s notice that it reserved the right to reword submissions. Perry said the chamber wanted to ensure no personal information was inadvertently included in the questions.
“I came out today to find out more about the candidates and find out what their platforms are and also how they perform under this type of situation,” said Wolford resident Michele Philps.
Five candidates are running for Wolford’s two council seats: incumbent Steve Ireland and newcomers Cindy Hanna, Gina Jelmini, Ryan Salter and Kait Brady. Deputy Mayor Anne Barr is challenging incumbent Mayor Michael Cameron. Merrickville-Wolford also elects two councillors from the Merrickville ward.
After opening remarks from Perry, moderators Shane Hewitt and Catherine Decarie drew questions from an envelope and selected a candidate to answer first. The remaining candidates responded in turn, with one minute each.
Residents were invited to speak with candidates after the two-hour meeting. Several attendees said the format helped them weigh their choices.
“I like the idea where they got the questions from the residents. Because they should really listen to the residents. I did feel represented, and I definitely know who I will vote for now,” said Wolford resident Susan Jackman.
“I like the way the moderators kept things running, and how people had to answer what the question was, not skirt around the issues, so I feel better informed,” said Leeanne Merkley.
John Philps said the answers gave him “some food for thought.”
Others left with reservations. Longtime Wolford resident Lynn Carkner said she felt some candidates understood rural concerns better than others.
“I liked two of the ladies; I just find that the girls are good because they kind of get the idea that we’re rural. The gentlemen are like, let’s bring the taxes. And so I just, I don’t know, I just, feel that they’re all for going out for Merrickville. And they forget that we’re part of them,” Carkner said.
Wolford resident Janet Fitzpatrick said the meeting helped her understand candidates she had not known before, but she found some answers frustrating.
“I think the questions that were asked gave me perspective on the people who answered them because I didn’t know some of the people that were up there, so now I understand their point of view. I think some of the questions were a little bit staged and I wasn’t amused with that, but that’s my perspective. I think that candidates kind of answered the questions; a lot of them didn’t really answer the questions that were asked, and I found that frustrating,” she said.
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