As I’ve spoken with residents while knocking on doors, one message has come through clearly: residents feel our Township has become unstable over the past four years, and many have lost confidence in their local government. That instability has included Integrity Commissioner investigations, the resignation of the former Mayor, and an unusually high number of staff departures. Residents deserve a Township that is focused on delivering reliable services, not persistent instability and conflict.
Why this matters
During this Council term, we’ve seen the departure of the CAO/Clerk, Deputy Clerk, two Treasurers, the Chief Building Official, the Public Works Superintendent, Recreation Programmer, two Financial Assistants, and several other staff members, including those in the Public Works and Recreation departments. Some staff turnover is normal in any organization but this level of turnover is not, especially when several former staff members attribute their departures to the toxic culture that has been fostered by Mayor Hoddinott.
A good workplace is built on respect and professionalism and that helps to attract and retain great staff, and whether it succeeds or fails starts with leadership.
We’ve also seen respect at the Council table decline over the last four years. Too often, Members of Council have been interrupted, talked over, or discouraged from sharing different viewpoints by the Mayor. Healthy debate is essential, but it must be respectful and it is the Mayor’s job to encourage healthy debate, not put a damper on it.
My Priorities
I believe that this has to change and that leadership starts at the top. As your next Mayor, my priorities to stabilize the Township staff team and rebuild trust between Council and staff and between Council and the community are as follows:
Strong Council–Staff Relationships
As your Mayor, my first priority will be stabilizing the Township staff team and I will work with Council to create a respectful and supportive workplace where staff can provide honest, professional advice to Council without fear of being dismissed or intimidated.
When Council and staff work as one team, residents receive better services and better results.
We rebuild trust with Township staff by approaching them with respect, actually listening to what they have to say (rather than listening to respond) and working collaboratively with our team toward a shared purpose: delivering the best programs and services for our residents as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Meaningful Community Engagement
As your Mayor, I will work with Council to create a Community Engagement Strategy that clearly identifies when public consultation is needed and how we can gather meaningful feedback before important decisions are made. As previously shared on Accountability and Transparency, this includes bringing back citizen advisory committees, offering both paper and online surveys, and improving regular communication about Township projects and decisions.
Respect and Decorum
As your Mayor, I will approach Council the same way that I approach any leadership role that I have taken both professionally and in volunteer roles.
For me, leadership begins with three simple principles:
Listen to every voice with respect.
Learn from different perspectives & experiences.
Lead by taking action together with practical solutions.
I will set a new standard for respectful, collaborative leadership that puts the community first. It is about treating all Members of Council and residents with respect and when we disagree, doing so on policy and without malice.
To that end, I will also commit to being available and seized with Township business as an Active Mayor focused squarely on delivering for you.
- I will be available to Township residents when they have concerns or questions. Unlike my opponent, I believe that being responsive and truly listening to ratepayers is shown through actively engaging with Township residents, not sitting in the Mayor’s office all day while micromanaging Township staff.
- I will hold office hours on a regular basis so Township residents can come to see me in-person but continue to be available by phone, text and email outside of office hours.
- I will continue to attend community events to talk with residents, hear feedback and celebrate our Township together with our community. As many people can attest to, I do not simply attend events as an attendee and promptly leave after taking a photograph. I like to stay for an entire event and then actively help to tear down tables and chairs because that is the right thing to do.
Strategic Planning
As your Mayor, I would launch a strategic planning exercise that involves all Members of Council, Township staff, local businesses and Township residents – because strategic planning should be an inclusive exercise to solidify our community’s priorities.
By including staff perspectives throughout the process, we can help to mend fences and prove that our new Council respects the important role that staff play in providing expert advice to Council, implementing Council decisions and maintaining the day-to-day operations of the municipality.
Organizational Review
As your Mayor, I would work with the CAO and Council to conduct a thorough review of the organizational review that was conducted in secret and implemented within months of the 2026 election. I believe that this organizational review was fundamentally flawed because it compared McNab/Braeside with our urban neighbours of Arnprior and Renfrew who have vastly different services (water, sewer) and significantly higher taxes. The 2026 organizational review process has not been shared publicly and it did not involve any community involvement as it should have.
We need to develop a made-in-McNab/Braeside organizational structure that responds to community needs and resident complaints as efficiently as possible.
Oliver Jacob for McNab/Braeside 