With one term of council under her belt, Mariane McLeod says she’s ready to make the move to the mayor’s seat.
McLeod is one of three candidates for mayor in the October municipal election.
During her time on council over the past four years, McLeod says one of her greatest accomplishments was working on a collaborative team. She told CollingwoodToday.ca that she recently sat down to make a list of all the things the 2018 to 2022 council managed to accomplish in four years.
“We saved the Terminals. We got a new and better water deal with New Tecumseth. We’re working toward this MZO (for the Poplar Village project), but I think getting ourselves at the table was really important on that one,” said McLeod. “We helped bring the hockey team to town. We allocated the resources we got from the assets sales (of the airport and the public utility).”
“There were all 306 recommendations from the Judicial Inquiry. That was really important to me because we’re not only helping Collingwood,” she said. “Those recommendations are going to help improve government at all 444 municipalities hopefully, because there are codes of conduct that will be put in place.”
Born and raised in Collingwood, McLeod grew up on a farm in Glen Huron, going to high school at Collingwood Collegiate Institute before pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph and a diploma in broadcast journalism from Fanshawe College. McLeod and her husband were high-school sweethearts, and when they were married, she chose to move back to Collingwood.
McLeod was part of a team that started up 97.7 The Beach and worked for 11 years reporting there and hosting their morning show.
Some of her volunteer contributions include being a Big Sister, and working with the curling club and the Great Northern Exhibition.
She was elected as a councillor in 2018, and has served as acting deputy mayor twice during her term: when Deputy Mayor Keith Hull took a three-month leave of absence starting in late 2021 and again since former Mayor Brian Saunderson stepped away to run for MPP in April. During her time on Collingwood council, McLeod also served as chair of the corporate and community services committee for two terms, and as chair of the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) for two terms.
McLeod says having experience at the County of Simcoe council table while acting deputy mayor, as well as her work with the NVCA, helps her to view things from a more regional perspective.
“I’m seeing how decisions we make here in Collingwood are having an impact on New Tecumseth, or Adjala-Tosorontio, or Oro-Medonte. Those things are really important,” she said.
As the mayor position for Collingwood also comes with a seat at the County of Simcoe council table, McLeod says the municipal comprehensive review (MCR) and Collingwood’s interests in that process need to be well-represented at the table in the next term.
According to most recent estimates out of the MCR, Collingwood’s population currently sits at 26,050. By 2051, the population is expected to reach 43,230. Jobs in Collingwood are currently estimated at 12,210, and are expected to reach 19,390 by 2051.
“We had asked for a reduction in the population allocation, but that didn’t go through. That was a bit of a disappointment. To make sure those discussions are taking place is really important,” she said. “I’m not sure what the issues are going to be facing the county going forward. We don’t know what the province is going to do next, so we need to be ready to be nimble.”
McLeod says what sets her apart in the mayoral race is her background and the perspective she brings to the table.
“I’m four generations in the area. I was born at the (Collingwood General and Marine) Hospital. I’ve also enjoyed success elsewhere and chose here as my forever home,” she said. “I bring a perspective not everyone else has had. That perspective is me standing on Hurontario Street watching a sidelaunch, or me working overnights at Harding Carpets...to pay for my college education.”
McLeod says there have been periods in her life where she has financially struggled so she can relate to issues of affordability being faced by many Canadians.
“The first year my husband and I moved into our forever home, we struggled, mostly because we didn’t have any insulation in our walls and the gas bills were crazy high,” she said. “I worry about everybody, and not just one slice. I’ve been on all sides. I’ve had to count every penny to get to the end of the month.”
“We need to be really careful with everybody’s money because we’re going to be facing some pretty serious budgetary challenges,” she added.
Balancing the needs of people who have lived in Collingwood for multiple generations, with those who have moved to Collingwood within their lifetime or will be moving to Collingwood within the next few years, is another challenge McLeod says she is ready to face.
“I think the key to everything is listening and listening with an open mind. There’s a balance to be had. These things are not in opposition. We’re all trying to create a community that we want to live in,” said McLeod. “So, let’s listen to everyone’s perspectives and figure it out.”
When asked what the most pressing issue that will face the next council would be, McLeod says it can be hard to speak to the future with any certainty.
“We don’t know. Nobody saw the pandemic coming. Nobody saw the immediate-ness of the water treatment plant needing to be replaced as being so urgent,” she said. “That wasn’t on the ballot in 2018. What was on the ballot was picking people whose values match with yours, who you trust to make decisions you’re going to be able to get behind.”
McLeod says her immediate priority for the 2022-26 council would be to be well-educated in how to function in a collaborative and cohesive way.
“At least two-thirds of this council is going to be new in their role. There needs to be some real education that takes place. I think it’s important that council needs to know how to behave at the table. Not that anyone behaved badly, but how to be effective,” she said. “If you want something to happen, you have to know how to write a motion about it. You need to be able to speak to it. You need to understand who speaks when.”
“I also want to listen to the people who would be serving with me, because they bring a perspective to the table as well. I want to hear their priorities too,” she said.
McLeod says the job of a mayor is “multi-pronged.”
“Not only is the mayor representing people at the table...but I’d also be responsible for making sure the meetings are run smoothly and in a collaborative way,” she said. “It’s also their job to represent the council. You bring things to the table, but you also take the table to the people to explain the decisions that were made and the reasoning.”
McLeod points to her recent experience leading Collingwood’s delegation to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference.
“The weight of that was heavy because I wanted to be sure I was representing our town in a thoughtful, responsible way because it wasn’t Mariane speaking anymore. It was Collingwood speaking,” she said. “You’re taking the town to the world, province and county.”
When it comes to Collingwood’s future, McLeod says balance is key.
“My hopes are that we keep everything that makes this place so great, and then add the things we’re missing to make it even greater,” she said. “The people are going to tell us what that is. The masses of people who want to come live here wouldn’t if it wasn’t pretty great already.”
“It would be such an honour to serve,” she said. “My plan is to be a mayor for everybody.”
McLeod is running against current Collingwood councillor Yvonne Hamlin and former councillor Norm Sandberg for mayor. Watch CollingwoodToday for profiles of Hamlin and Sandberg.
Election day is Oct. 24, but advanced voting begins Oct. 8.
This year, Collingwood residents will have the option to vote online anytime between Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. There will also be paper ballot voting available at the Collingwood Public Library on Saturdays and Wednesdays in October leading up to and including voting day on Oct. 24.
