Sarnia's mayoral candidates squared off in a debate Thursday night, hosted by Blackburn Media at the Dante Club.
Incumbent Mayor Mike Bradley, City/County Councillor Bill Dennis, Carrie McEachran and Scott Molson were all on hand, while George Stanko withdrew from the race earlier in the day.
Each answered questions drafted by Sarnia News Today reporters, based on input from citizens of Sarnia, in front of a crowd of just over 200.
A video of the debate can be found below.
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What specifically would you do to address homelessness and addictions in Sarnia?
McEachran: "My plan is to create a Mayor's Action Committee. I have sat through the years on so many committees on behalf of the City of Sarnia or the County of Lambton or the organizations I worked for and we sit, we talk about the issue, you get smart people to the table, we come up with great solutions, we walk away and nothing ever happens. So my plan is to create an action, not task, an action because that's what I'm about. We're going to come to the table, we're going to have the right people there, we're going to put our heads together and we're going to come up with some solutions. We're going to rattle some chains at all levels of government to say here's the problem in Sarnia, we need it fixed and here's our solution."
Molson: "Well, there's two things that go hand in hand. It's called accountability and compassion. This is what we need for the people. There's many reasons why people are homeless and some of it is from drug addiction. We need to follow through with a crisis for treatment to recovery and then the drug addiction back into society and we have all that stuff here right now but I can't do that by myself. We have to do this as a city, as government, and we have to work with like CMHA, and the provincial government in Lambton County and we do have to have subsidized housing because homelessness isn't just drug addiction. These are trying times right now."
What would you do to create more opportunities for young people so that they can build careers in this community?
Bradley: "The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership can show you, along with the Judy Morris Task Force, there's been growth in this city, population growth, and diversity. That includes everyone. We've also seen a trend where youth are coming back to the community earlier. Part of it's the lifestyle, part of it's just work habits have changed, and that's a very positive thing. We're a very friendly community if someone wants to open a business here in their own home, and we've been doing that for years. I'll just continue to champion the government that we need to serve the people and to entice people back here."
Dennis: "I've reached out to an awful lot of youth locally, and quite frankly, I think that you're going to be surprised with the level of voter turnout among youth in this election. They understand what's at stake in this election, and I want them to have the same opportunities that I had when I was a youngster. A lot of politicians, I don't talk to them, but I hear what they're saying. They're setting them up. It's almost like they want to brainwash them into accepting less, like smaller homes. But I want them to have the same opportunities and chances that I had. But I'll tell you this, I am absolutely, positively against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hiring. I'm against the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, where white, heterosexual youngsters are at immediate disadvantage. And I can tell you right now, if I'm mayor, you will not see DEI hiring practices occur at city hall. I can tell you that much."
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The evening wasn't without some controversy, when Dennis accused Bradley of being a "jealous person who hates private industry."
"Mike, seriously, honestly, I'd be embarrassed to be running if I were you, after the job you've done," said Dennis. "You know, when you think about all the faux pas, and that's being generous, that you've done, we should have had the Point Edward casino. They've received $56 million in hosting fees, and you shot that down. You don't want to see people do well, individuals do well. I want government to be small, and I want to unleash free enterprise. Eight years ago, his slogan was, there's no small dreams for Sarnia. What a crock of malarkey that was."
In reply, Bradley said he wouldn't "respond to the diatribe."
"I've done my best for the city, day in, day out," said Bradley. "It is not perfect, but I work with councils, I work with business, I work with labour, and we have accomplished a lot. If I can make one comment on the casino, I was one of the three mayors that negotiated the five per cent for every Ontario city."
Dennis also questioned McEachran's recent appointment to the Sarnia Police Service Board in April.
"I'd just like to add when Carrie applied for that appointment, it was a formality," he said. "Her husband's family owns the cottage next door to Doug Ford, so it was just a formality. It was a patronage appointment, so I just wanted to make that clear."
McEachran said that had nothing to do with her appointment.
"The appointment was public," McEachran said. "I know people in Sarnia that saw that appointment on the website just like I did. Anyone in this room could have applied for that appointment. I got that appointment because of my experience, my governance experience, and my commitment to this community."
Other issues covered during the debate included the use of strong mayor powers, the environment at city hall, and municipal spending.
The debate brought in $1,820 in support of the United Way of Sarnia-Lambton.
The mayoral candidates will square off again for a sold-out debate at Sarnia Imperial Theatre on Monday, October 19. The event will be livestreamed.
Meanwhile, voter information letters started to go out in the mail on October 1, ahead of election day on October 26.
