Three individuals are running for mayor of Dryden in this year’s election: incumbent Jack Harrison and challengers Derek Ouellette and Brenda Sedgwick.
Harrison has been mayor since he first ran in 2022, winning with 69 per cent of the votes against one other candidate —Shayne MacKinnon.
“It was quite an honour to serve as the mayor the last almost-four years, and I’ve learned a lot about running the corporation of the City of Dryden, and we’ve got a lot of initiatives on the go that I’d like to complete,” he said.
He added that he wants to continue the growth of Dryden at a pace that doesn’t burden the taxpayer, among other projects.
Derek Ouellette had originally filed to run for council in this year’s election, before switching to run for mayor.
Ouellette said that true change starts at the top and that he has “a positive, open attitude where we can look at proper public engagement.”
“We can look at a good culture change and bring some pride back to our small city,” he said, adding that working together is the right direction for the community.
Filing this week, Brenda Sedgwick said that “too many people feel ignored, and when people stop expecting answers, they stop taking part.”
“I’m running to bring people’s voices back into city hall by listening, asking clear questions, and working with council in the community,” she added. Sedgwick said she is also running to step outside of her comfort zone.
13 Candidates vie for six council positions
There are 13 candidates in the running for six council positions including five of the six incumbent councillors. Incumbents running to remain councillors include Catherine Kiewning, Bill Latham, Ritchie Noel, Michelle Price and Bryan Tardiff. With Coun. Martin MacKinnon is not competing for his seat this year. In addition, Donald Bullen, Jim Dayman, David Durance, Dawn Jones, Richard Kikot, Dennis Lawrynuik, Dan Salhani are hoping to win seats on council.
Three people are in the running for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board Trustee position. Barbara Gauthier, incumbent trustee Judi Green, and Jason Owen have all put their hats in the ring.
For The Northwest Catholic District School Board, incumbent trustees Kathy Bryck and Peter Marshall are both running to retain their seats on the board and will be challenged by Michael Cortens.
Dryden is also allotted a space each on the French public and Catholic boards, each of those has been acclaimed. Anne-Marie Gélineault will represent the city on the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario. Micheline Lovenuk will be the representative on the Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores Boréales.
