OUT and ABOUT with Seeker Chick Mai-Liis: attended the Cornwall Community Well-Being Mayoral Forum on Thursday, October 8th, at St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre, located at 14 York Street, Cornwall, in Jeanne Mance Hall.
This informative evening was presented in partnership with St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre, Seaway Valley Community Health Centre, Maison de la Terre, Centre de santé communautaire de Cornwall, and Seniors for Second Residences Inc.
The evening was guided by Dan Allaire and began with an opportunity to get to know the candidates running for School Trustee with both the Catholic and Public School Boards. Dan then introduced the candidates running for Cornwall City Council.
Each candidate was given two minutes to tell us a little about themselves, explain why they were running, and share some of the key points of their platforms.
As always during election time, The Seeker has asked the candidates to answer 10 questions, which are available on our website. However, there is something special about hearing candidates speak in person. It gives us another opportunity to get to know them, learn about their personalities, and hear the passion behind their reasons for running.
While many of the existing councillors have put their names forward for re-election, I must say that I was also impressed by the new candidates and their wonderful energy and optimism!
We then had the opportunity to meet the four Mayoral candidates: incumbent Justin Towndale, Sarah Good, Art Levert, and Nicole Spahich. They shared their perspectives and priorities on issues that matter to our community, particularly in the areas of health, housing, and seniors.
Kudos to all the candidates who took the time to participate!
One of the things I appreciated most was the honesty and sincerity of everyone who spoke. Some of the first-time candidates openly admitted that they were nervous, and I thought that was wonderful. After all, standing up in front of a room full of people and sharing your ideas takes courage!
Some spoke with notes, while others spoke without them, but I felt that everyone was speaking from the heart. Although each candidate brought their own experiences and perspectives to the table, it was interesting to hear how many shared similar priorities when it came to the well-being of our community.
As voters, we all have our own concerns and ideas about what matters most, and evenings like this give us another opportunity to listen, learn, and decide who we feel will best represent our community.
With Election Day approaching, I encourage everyone to take the time to learn about the candidates, read their answers to The Seeker’s questions and listen to the Seeker Podcasts with the candidates where we host friendly chats.
Tune in on The Seeker Community page tomorrow evening (Saturday, October 10th) at 7pm as we will be chatting with the Mayoral Candidates. Confirmed are Justin Towndale, Sarah Good and Art Levert.
Monday October 12th we will be chatting with Cornwall Council candidates Jeremy Rose, Dan Beaudoin, Jason Mousseau and Joanne Parker and on Monday, October 19th we will be chatting with Denis Sabourin, Todd Lalonde and Jody Mitic.
Keep your eyes open for more Meetings with the Candidates and especially make a point of attending the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce / yourTV Candidate Night & Mayoral Debate happening next Wednesday, October 14th at the Best Western starting at 5pm with an in-person meet and greet, then at 6:30 pm yourTV goes live for the Council Candidate free time portion. Each council candidate will be given 2 minutes uninterrupted to speak about themselves and their platform and at 7:30 the Mayoral Debate will begin.
You can also purchase the full 52 page October issue of The SDG&A Cornwall Seeker that features the Cornwall Municipal Elections special Flip Magazine full of Candidate interviews and important Elections information.
Most importantly, make your voice heard by voting on October 26th because after all, our community’s future is shaped by the people we choose to represent us.
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