A small crowd of eager municipal election candidates gathered in front of Peterborough’s city hall Tuesday morning, waiting to file their nomination paperwork as the campaign season begins.
Among that crowd was 18-year-old Zach Hatton, who was filing to run in Northcrest Ward. He said he wanted to bring a younger voice to the council table.
“Communication is a big thing, actually getting back to people, going door to door throughout the four years to hear people’s concerns,” he said.
Hatton was joined by three incumbents: Town Ward councillor Dean Pappas and Ashburnham Ward councillors Keith Riel and Gary Baldwin.
“My concerns are that the citizens of Peterborough are well represented in city hall every day on every single issue, and that they have access to government on a local level,” Pappas said, shortly after he handed in his forms.
Baldwin won his seat during the last election, and said he’s liked the job so much he wants another crack at it.
“I really enjoy the constituency work, helping people who call me on a day-to-day basis or email me,” he said. “That’s my primary motivation, helping people in the community and giving back to the community.”
As the morning wore on, and more candidates filed their nomination papers, two themes emerged: development and transportation.
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“I don’t think it’s a question of if we’re going to grow, it’s a question of how we’re going to grow,” said Otonabee Ward hopeful Kim Zippel. “We need to continue to work together and start crafting our official plan.”
“The other part of it is transportation,” said Monaghan Ward candidate Dave McGowan. “We have to get people around. There’s a lot of options. I think we really need to be taking a forward look and not get stuck on one particular solution to our transportation problems. ”
That sentiment was echoed by incumbent Keith Riel.
“We have to move people not just north and south, but east and west,” he said. “We have five bridges we have to go across, so certainly with the build up that’s happened in Ashburnham, and with what’s certainly going to happen, we have to have a solid transportation plan to move people.”
Others, like former provincial NDP candidate Sheila Wood, want to see more change at the council table.
“It’s almost like every vote is six to five,” the Ashburnham Ward hopeful said, referring to the current council’s voting habits. “I’d like to see a more progressive council, more consensus, so every issue wouldn’t be six to five.”
The municipal election takes place Oct. 22.
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