Joann Chechalk, West Lincoln, Mayor

I am proud to have represented the residents of Ward 2 as a Councillor for the past eight years. I believe my experience as a senior municipal employee for 28 years and my Chartered Professional Accountant designation have served the Township well. I am a long-time resident and part of an active family farming operation here in West Lincoln (some people call us as the “goat farmers”, others, the “garlic farmers”).

My deep understanding of how to achieve results in a political environment plus my strong negotiation skills have changed the way West Lincoln positions itself when negotiating important needs for our community. I know I can achieve much more as Mayor and I am running so we can build a West Lincoln that is the pride of Niagara.

People tell me that they like the small town feel and culture of this community, I do too. As Mayor, I’ll work hard to ensure that West Lincoln will be a place that values its people and seeks their input on decisions that affect them. I envision this community as becoming a place where we take pride in our achievements because they reflect those of our people. Together, we’ll build a plan for West Lincoln where people at all stages of life have a place in our community.

While there has been some work done to plan growth, Council has struggled because there is no clear vision, strategic plan or community priorities for the Township. My plan includes economic development that will support rural businesses, agri-businesses and urban businesses.

My plan will be built with public consultation. It will include a vision for the future so housing types for all ages are included, a plan that provides the ability to live, work, raise families and retire in West Lincoln. This will require Council to work with developers, not for developers, so we can achieve a balance for existing residents and new residents of the community. My plan includes getting an increase in development charges so that new growth pays for itself instead of being a burden to existing residents

As Mayor, I will see that Council makes road safety a priority. The traffic-calming measures that are in the Regional budget need to be constructed now; it is unacceptable for them to be pushed back any longer. Those measures include the Smithville by-pass that will keep industrial traffic off of our local roads, a safe pedestrian crossing of Highway 20 near the legion villa and the two traffic circles at either end of Smithville. It also includes reduced speeds on some of our Regional roads and the improvements that have been on the books for Wellandport for too many years.

I am ready for the job and look forward to serving West Lincoln, as Mayor, for the next four years.