Ashmore outlines priorities in Kawartha Lakes mayoral bid

Ron Ashmore says he wants to be Kawartha Lakes’ next mayor because he believes council needs to put more power back into the hands of residents.

Ashmore, who currently serves as Ward 6 councillor, says he believes he has done all he can for his constituents at the council table and wants to bring that dedication to residents across the city as mayor.

“I’ve gone as far as I can, (and) I thought that this was the time to run for mayor because I could do even more for constituents, not just in Ward 6, but the whole city,” he told Kawartha Lakes Weekly.

Ashmore believes council needs “a fundamental change,” arguing councillors no longer have the power they once did.

“Councillors are the people,” he said. “(My campaign) is about giving the power back to the people through the council.”

Ashmore said affordability, housing and economic development would be among his priorities as mayor, adding the municipality needs to keep property-tax increases at or below the rate of inflation.

“We cannot do these seven per-cent projections that are being talked about,” he said. “We don’t need to be spending $100 million on projects that we don’t need.”

He also wants the city to reverse its 2026 increase in development charges, which he said has made new housing less affordable and hindered economic growth.

As mayor, Ashmore said he would return the charges to their pre-2026 levels and restore a commercial exemption in an effort to attract new industry, manufacturing and service-sector jobs.

“You’ll keep hearing from my competitors that ‘growth pays for growth,’ well, that doesn’t work when you have no growth at all,” he said.

Another priority for Ashmore is finding new ways to finance infrastructure projects, rather than relying solely on taxpayers and developers.

He wants to propose a program called Kawartha Lakes Savings Bonds that would allow residents and corporations to invest in local infrastructure projects and receive dividends in return.

“I’d propose different ways of financing our capital so we don’t have to put all the burden on the taxpayer,” he said.

The city’s customer-service system is another area Ashmore wants to change, calling for Canadian software to replace the U.S.-based system currently in place.

“We need to bring (customer service) either in-house or have a Canadian supplier of the software,” he said, adding that the city pays about $750,000 a year for its current system.

Ashmore said there is a “divide” between larger centres, like Lindsay, and the smaller, rural communities that dot Kawartha Lakes.

One way to address that divide, he said, would be through “community councils” across Kawartha Lakes, which would report to council and give residents another avenue to raise concerns and have input into decisions affecting their communities.

Such a framework, he said, would also help ensure that the needs of smaller communities are considered alongside those of the city’s larger centres, giving rural residents a more direct connection to decision-making.

His campaign, Ashmore said, has been “grassroots” in nature, with an emphasis on listening to residents and responding to their concerns.

Asked what he wants residents to remember about his campaign when they vote on Oct. 26, Ashmore said he wants them to know he is running to be “the people’s mayor.”

“I’m here for you and I’ve always been the people’s councillor, and I want to be the people’s mayor,” he said. “I want to listen to you.”

His approach, he added, is based on the belief that elected officials work for the residents they represent.

“As I always say to people, I work for you, you are my boss,” Ashmore said.