Who will be the next Mayor of Stratford?
That was the question on the minds of the over 270 people, with another 130 online, who took in an all-candidates’ debate put on by the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce on Monday night.
The three candidates running for Mayor, Martin Ritsma, Kathy Vassilakos and Robert Ritz all took turns answering questions on issues including expanding affordable housing options, public transit and job vacancies.
On adding more affordable housing, Kathy Vassilakos says we need to take an “environmentally and fiscally responsible” approach to building more homes and added that “compact growth” will lead to livable cities.
Robert Ritz says we need to “respect the heritage value that our city has” and look at using the city’s existing buildings to increase density.
Martin Ritsma countered that any infill “must be done in a respectful way” and added that the city can use part of the former Cooper Site for housing.
On public transit, Ritsma says he’s “proud of the city’s new transit hub” and added that while the city’s current transit system does meet the community’s needs any future issues could be addressed with the help of a citizen based public advisory board.
Vassilakos says a “lot of good things” are happening with the city’s transit system, but she added they need to encourage ridership and normalize riding the bus for families for recreational activities.
Ritz says he’d look at changing to a dial-a-bus system from the current transit-on-demand because it would be an easier system to use.
Beforehand, each of the 29 candidates running for council had a chance to introduce themselves and say why they feel they deserve to be voted for.
Election Day is October 24th.
