In his third term of office, Mayor Al Strathdee vows to continue chipping away at big issues facing residents.
The acclaimed mayor of St. Marys met with StratfordToday on a regular day, while he was working around the office. In his Buffalo Bills cap and work-boots, Strathdee was affable and approachable, candidly speaking on the election, his upcoming term, and all the work that he needs to do, work that he is happy to do.
Social services, cost of living, and infrastructure are top of mind.
“It's really hard to judge the success of a lot of things because of COVID,” Strathdee said. “I'm hoping that we can make some progress. We're like everyone else. We're in pretty good shape but there's a lot of financial hurdles in front of us as well.”
Like all municipalities in the country, St. Marys has an infrastructure deficit. That can be seen most notably in the recent sewer issues.
In late-April, early-May, a large section of the sewer main on Huron Street East had to be replaced due to degradation that spanned three blocks. The cause of the degradation has not been determined yet, but it was an unexpected expense that wasn’t accounted for in the budget.
Strathdee estimated that by the time reconstruction is over it will be a million dollar deal. He noted that it is an ongoing issue that affects more than just one street. Another sewer issue occurred on Robinson Street, though it wasn’t as big.
Strathdee said that the sewer degradation is a great example of how dependent municipalities are on upper levels of government. Other than assistance from the province or increasing the tax levy there is no way for a municipality to answer these issues.
He said that especially now with the federal government’s push for being green, there is more incentive for upgrading sewers.
“What could be more important than us upgrading our sewage treatment plant, which was built in the 60s? Sixty years later and there doesn't seem to be the funding from upper levels of government.”
Sewage, water, and infrastructure are not exciting, but Strathdee notes that for all the accusations of municipal government being ‘boring,’ it is the most personal and the most important level of government. Infrastructure is the glue that holds our society together, he argued.
Cost of living is an issue facing every municipality and yet there are limited things a town can do to address it. Strathdee said that as a town, they need to be cognizant of the cost of living. They have put programs and tools in place for builders to consult. They are working with experts in building and renting development but they are always looking for more partners.
Strathdee said he will continue to chip away at big issues.
Strathdee is a local business owner, managing a car wash service and residential properties. He also owned a storage business, though sold it during the pandemic.
Strathdee originally ran for mayor in 2014. He was upset with how how the town was operating and after his friends urged him to put his money where his mouth was, put his name forward.
At the time, Strathdee only wished to serve two terms, although that changed after the pandemic. He wanted to run for a third term to give the town stability after a tumultuous few years during lockdowns.
He knew that the town would have a tough time getting services up to where they were and address what services were necessary. He stressed that much of the town and modern life has changed since first taking office.
This town has two new councillors: Brogan Aylward and Dave Lucas, joining incumbents Jim Craigmile, Robert Edney, Marg Luna, and Fern Pridham.
Strathdee has high hopes that it will be a cooperative atmosphere.
“I think that there will be some new views at the table…there will be a real sense of teamwork, because from my sense from the election, they're interested in all the issues that council has prioritized.”
St. Marys had a low voter turnout of 24.9 per cent, with only 1,545 votes cast from 6,204 eligible voters. Strathdee was disappointed with the numbers, though not surprised. He blamed burnout from the pandemic as a big factor in this year’s turnout across the province.
He noted that the town is looking at doing some new things in the next election to try and gauge the community.
The mayor stressed that it is easy to ignore issues facing your community but it is imperative that you don’t. There is always a solution, he suggested.
“You can face the problems and come up with a plan. (That) doesn't always make everyone happier, doesn't mean you're always going to be successful, but you got to keep doing things.”