After being voted in as mayor in Algonquin Highlands for a second time Monday (Oct. 26), Liz Danielsen told The Highlander she’s eager to get back to work to address challenges lingering from the previous term, as well as new ones raised during the municipal election.
Reflecting on the “bittersweet” results, Danielsen said there’s likely to be some growing pains to begin the next term, given she’s the only elected member with previous council experience.
Jennifer Dailloux, Julia Shortreed and Sabrina Richards did not seek re-election, while Lisa Barry was defeated in Ward 2, bringing an end to her 16-year run in local office. They will be replaced by Karla MacKay, who was acclaimed in Ward 1, Gary Trapp and James Cooper, both elected in Ward 2, and Don Embree, who took Ward 3.
“There are some pretty serious changes this election cycle – in many ways, that’s a good thing because new faces and new ideas are good, but there’s a real learning curve there,” Danielsen said. “No matter how many different skills you bring to the table… it’s a different world and it’ll take some time for everybody to find their footing.”
Danielsen said the affordability and governance structure review ongoing at the County level is top of mind. She’s looking forward to doing a “deeper dive” into the finances, with consultant, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, expected to deliver more information in December.
Based on what she heard on the campaign trail, Danielsen said a lot of residents don’t want any kind of amalgamation. “A lot of people are very concerned – it’s interesting, even when people know that might be the thing we need to do, there’s no appetite for it,” she said.
She wants to see the issue put on the backburner, at least to start this term, suggesting new councillors be given the chance to get their feet under the table and go through 2027 budgets before digging deeper.
Given the changing political landscape Countywide, Danielsen, Highlands East mayor Dave Burton and Dysart et al deputy mayor Walt McKechnie will be the only returnees to County council.
Trapp was the only other Algonquin Highlands councillor to confirm his interest in the deputy mayor position, which would earn him a seat on County council.
“That is something I would definitely consider… I’m interested in what’s going on at County because of the broader perspective with amalgamation. I would like to be at that table and think I could speak up on behalf of Algonquin Highlands,” Trapp said.
With increasing costs in mind, Danielsen said council may need to revisit things like timelines around municipal fleet replacement, currently set at eight years. She’s also committed to revisiting the licence of occupation file.
“I’m not willing to completely abolish it, but I’ve reached the point where I’m willing to consider the issue of docks… I still don’t agree with somebody building a bunkie or gazebo on land they do not own, though.”
While MacKay was acclaimed in Ward 1, Trapp secured the most votes in Ward 2 (772) with Cooper coming second (656 votes), both earning a seat. Kent Wallace (626 votes) and Lisa Barry (586 votes) rounded out the voting. In Ward 3, Embree scored a comfortable win over Darren Wiebe, 439 votes to 76.
