During his weekly appearance on 91.5 The Beat with Scott Fox and Kat Callaghan, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic confirmed that he will be seeking re-election this fall.
Vrbanovic told Fox and Callaghan that he has been pondering his decision for the last few months as he considered whether he was up for the challenge of holding office for another four years.
“I wanted to take some time to appropriately reflect on the past four years as well as what a commitment to another four years would look like,” Vrbanovic said.
“And what I would say to you is that I’m more passionate and energized than ever in terms of our city. I love the city. I love serving the city.”
He said he would be heading to the city clerk’s office on Friday to make it official that he would be seeking a third term in the mayor’s office. Prior to being mayor, he was a councillor for two decades.
“I’m really excited about it,” Vrbanovic said. “You know, we’ve been able to accomplish a lot together, even despite the pandemic but there’s a lot of great things to be done.”
He believes some of the major issues going forward for the city over the next four years will include homelessness, mental health, sustainability and climate change.
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Vrbanovic is the first candidate to file for the mayor’s office in the city, while there have also been no nominations filed for Ward 4 and Ward 7, either.
The only city councillor to announce that they will not be seeking re-election this fall thus far is Ward 5 Coun. Kelly Galloway Sealock.
Kitchener regional councillors Elizabeth Clarke and Geoff Lorentz have chosen to step aside as the race for regional council could have a crowded field.
So far, six people have filed their candidacy while the city’s other two councillors, Tom Galloway and Michael Harris, have yet to announce their intentions.
Vrbanovic joins Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry and Regional Chair Karen Redman in seeking another term in office while Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky will retire from politics this fall.
The three cities, school boards and the region will accept submissions for candidacy up until Aug. 19.
The Beat and Global News are both subsidiaries of Corus Entertainment.
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