City of Kitchener - Mayor
The mayor is the head of your local municipality (city or
township) and sits on that council. The mayor also sits on Regional
Council.
Local municipalities deal with issues such as public parks,
fire departments, and building inspections. Read more on the
Muncipal Government Overview page.
All Candidate Meeting Recordings
All-candidates meetings are the best and quickest way to choose candidates (really!).
They allow you to evaluate candidates side by side, responding to
the same questions.
If you don’t have time to watch an entire recording, watch 2-3 rounds
of questions in the middle of the meeting. This will take 10-15
minutes.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who attended the meeting? Who did not?
- Which candidates answered the questions directly? Which ones avoided
the question(s) or pivoted to talking points?
-
Kitchener Candidate Forums (Regional Council, Mayor, Regional Chair),
Greater KW Chamber of Commerce and CityNews 570),
October 7, 2022.
-
Kitchener's mayoral candidates outline their ideas on housing and homelessness,
CBC,
October 7, 2022.
-
The Local Campaign: Kitchener Mayoral Debate,
Rogers tv,
September 20, 2022.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires allow you to compare candidate responses side by side.
Ask yourself whether you agree with the candidate positions, and
whether the candidates demonstrate good understanding of the
underlying issues.
-
2022 Ontario municipal election: Meet the Kitchener mayoral candidates,
Global News,
October 11, 2022.
-
GREN Survey on Environmental Issues,
Grand River Environmental Network,
October 10, 2022.
-
FABWR Candidate Survey Results,
For a Better Waterloo Region,
October 8, 2022.
-
2022 Election Candidates List Survey,
Waterloo Crime Prevention Council,
October 7, 2022.
-
Heritage Platforms for 2022 Elections,
ACO (Architectural Conservancy Ontario) North Waterloo Region,
September 27, 2022.
-
Results of 2SLGBTQIA+ Questionnaire for Waterloo Region Municipal Candidates,
SPECTRUM and OK2BME,
September 26, 2022.
-
Meet the candidates running for Mayor of Kitchener ,
CTV Kitchener,
September 26, 2022.
-
Municipal Election and The Encampment Survey by /u/nhowlett,
Reddit,
September 17, 2022.
Endorsements from Organizations
Some advocacy groups release endorsements of particular candidates.
Look at the advocacy group’s positions and philosophies, and see
whether they align with your own.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What political outcomes does this group advocate for? Do you agree
with their goals?
- On what basis did this group make their endorsement? Did they gather
statements from the candidates?
- How transparent was their selection process?
Grouped Candidate Profiles
Candidate profiles allow you to read responses from different candidates side by side.
Articles and News Items
Articles can highlight issues of importance to the election and the electorate.
-
‘I like to fight for the little person’: Kitchener’s new councillors ready to serve,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 28, 2022.
-
Voters deliver Vrbanovic third term as mayor of Kitchener, three new councillors elected,
CTV Kitchener,
October 25, 2022.
-
Vrbanovic makes decisive return as Kitchener’s mayor,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 24, 2022.
Opinions and Group Discussions
Opinions, blog posts and discussions can be biased but useful.
Sometimes people closely
aligned with particular candidates write opinions without disclosing
their relationships to the candidate.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Can you identify where the writer(s) are coming from? Do you agree
with their positions?
- Do the posters offer evidence for their opinions? Is that evidence
credible? Is it proportionate, or blown out of proportion?
-
In yesterday's mail.,
Reddit,
October 19, 2022.
-
Ok who is the candidate with the weird mask and are there photos?,
Reddit,
October 18, 2022.
-
Val Neekman's homeless plan,
Reddit,
October 13, 2022.
-
Kitchener's mayoral candidates outline their ideas on housing and homelessness ,
Reddit,
October 7, 2022.
Individual Candidate Coverage
These posts cover specific candidates in depth. Sometimes the
candidates are asked specific questions and sometime they are allowed
to talk about whatever interests them. These profiles can offer more
in-depth coverage than you might get from a candidate’s website.
-
Val Neekman Interview,
Centre for Family Business,
October 11, 2022.
-
KITCHENER VOTES: Val Neekman, mayoral candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 5, 2022.
-
KITCHENER VOTES: Berry Vrbanovic, mayoral candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 5, 2022.
-
KITCHENER VOTES: Manikantan Nair, mayoral candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 5, 2022.
-
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic to seek third term in fall election,
Waterloo Region Record,
July 22, 2022.
