'We need those steady hands in unsteady times to move us forward' is a stretch. will the votes buy it in October

By Pepper Parr

June 5^th, 2026

BURLINGTON, ON

We at least know that Marianne Meed Ward is going to run for a third term  For a short period of time there was considerable doubt that she would attempt to serve as Mayor for a Third time.

The reason for the decision will not be found in the remarks Meed Ward is reported to have made.  She said:

“We need those steady hands in unsteady times to move us forward, and keep the momentum moving forward for what we have built here in Burlington,” she said this morning at Robert Bateman Community Centre, where she held a media conference. “You will hear a lot of promises in the months leading up to the campaign, but look at track records. The best predictor of what someone will do is what they have done.”

The track record is the issue. When two of your council colleges decide to run for your job – you could fairly conclude that there is trouble in paradise.

Many feel that Rory Nisan is in place in order to split the vote and defeat the Lisa Kearns campaign.

There are a number of people who have reached out to the Gazette asking that we investigate just why Nisan is running for Mayor.  Our view is that there is zero chance that he can win – and if he did win he would be a terrible Mayor.

He has made a point of including just his supporters for his campaign events.

Meed Ward said that the “work that matters most at a municipal level cannot be done alone, and working with the provincial and federal governments, as well as businesses and organizations, is key to get results for the people of Burlington.

“I have built those partnerships over decades, and that will pay off as we move forward together,” Meed Ward said.

They may well be the key to getting results but to date one would be hard pressed to set out a list of the results that were obtained.

The Pride Crosswalks were an important issue. They were much more than a photo op.

Surely the Pride street crossings are not being defined as results.

Surely the strong support for the Indigenous community is not the reason for returning Meed Ward to office.

As important as those two events were – and they are very important, what is critically important is the financial side of what Meed Ward has failed to do.

A tax increase of more than 40% of an 8 year term is not sustainable.  It is a heavy heavy burden for many

The tens of millions in the way of short fall for our infrastructure is crippling.

The consistent failure to come clean with the voters on exactly how much of the tax increase is a city responsibility.  Mixing the school board levy and the Regional tax levy to make the city tax levy lower than it is -is financial malfeasance.

For those who struggle with the word take what the Cambridge Dictionary provides:

“Malfeasance is a legal and professional term for the intentional commission of a wrongful, illegal, or dishonest act. It is most frequently used to describe corrupt or unlawful behavior by individuals in positions of public authority, such as politicians, police officers, or corporate executives”

You just don’t consistently fail to tell the tax payers what you know to be less than the truth.

Meed Ward is reported to have said, “… after consulting with her family and the community, she decided to run for a third term as mayor.

Affordability, transit, and public safety were mentioned as priorities.   The rest of her campaign is to follow.

The Gazette did not know the media event was taking place. We were not advised.

We believe this is the first media event the Mayor has held so far during her 8 years as Mayor.

Municipal elections in Ontario will take place October 26.

To date there are three candidates for the Office of Mayor: Lisa Kearns, Rory Nisan and Marianne Meed Ward.