Council Conversations

Cathy Burghardt-Jesson has been Mayor of Lucan Biddulph since 2014.  She was first elected to local council in 2010.  In her role as Mayor, she also sits on Middlesex County Council and has served as Warden of the County for three (3) terms (2020, 2021 & 2023).  Cathy sits on a number of municipal committees both in Lucan and Middlesex.  She is a Board member for the Middlesex-London Paramedic...

Mayor Jerry Acchione was elected Mayor in 2022, after serving on Woodstock City Council since 2014. Jerry has long been a passionate advocate for the City of Woodstock. He is an active member of the community and has proudly supported hundreds of organizations and events over the years as a volunteer coach, member of the Woodstock Lions Club and OPP Auxiliary.  Growing up in a close-knit Italian f...

Neil was first elected to Council in the 2018 Election, and was re-elected in the 2022 Election, representing the Listowel Ward of North Perth. Neil comes from a family with a long history of public service, his Great-Grandfather, Grandfather, and Father all served as Reeve of the Former Township of Greenock, and Neil is proud to follow in their footsteps. Neil lives in Listowel with his wife Amel...

Jennifer Kyle is a municipal councillor in the County of Brant serving in her first term. She believes strongly inter-governmental relationships and advocacy are integral to the economic success of her municipality and the greater South-Central Ontario Region. Jenn has made this a priority for her first term on council, spearheading and chairing the County of Brant Council Government Relations Com...

Chris Parker was born and raised in Tillsonburg, Chris is a second-term councillor for the Town of Tillsonburg. Chris attended Glendale High School in Tillsonburg and then attended Durham College where he got his diploma in Law and Security Administration.  Chris is the alternate for Tillsonburg Town Council at Oxford County Council. He also serves on and chairs several boards and committees for t...

Joe Bachetti is Tecumseh's Deputy Mayor and Deputy Warden for the County of Essex. He first entered municipal politics at the age of 28 and has been elected or acclaimed the past ten terms totalling over three decades. He has served as a municipal councillor for 20 years 1994-2014, and now as Deputy Mayor 2014 to present. Joe is a retired school principal and is very active in his community. He is...

Steve Salmons is President and CEO of Port Windsor (since 2018), Ontario’s third largest port.  He has held several previous leadership roles including General Manager for the City of Windsor, Director of Community Services and Development at Lakeshore, and CEO of the Windsor Public Library.  For several years, Steve was a senior advisor to several Cabinet Ministers in Ontario, including the Minis...

Angelo Marignani was born and raised in Windsor by his immigrant parents, Franco and Felicia. Angelo attended and graduated from the University of Windsor earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. After graduating, Angelo travelled to Tokyo, Japan, where he worked and lived for eight years. In Japan, Angelo was a teacher and a human resource personnel for NCB, Nova, and Mitsubishi Industries. In 1998, An...

Crystal Meloche is the proud first female Mayor of LaSalle, currently serving in her first term. With a passion for her community, she has dedicated over a decade of service to the Town of LaSalle. Crystal first ran for municipal office in 2010, securing a seat on the town council and serving two terms before being acclaimed as Deputy Mayor in 2018. Her leadership and commitment to her town led to...

Mayor Amy Martin has Norfolk County in her blood. A Norfolk County native, Martin graduated from Port Dover Composite School before attaining her degree in Psychology at York University in Toronto.  Upon earning her degree, Martin returned to Norfolk where she worked in the not-for-profit sector across Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. Amy currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Port...

A determined problem-solver, Andrew Dowie is driven to deliver tangible results for Windsor and Tecumseh.  Andrew was elected as Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh on June 2, 2022, and serves with the Progressive Conservative government caucus. He was appointed as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on March 28, 2024, and was pre...

Mayor Kenneth Craig was raised on a dairy farm between Kincardine and Tiverton, On.  Along with his wife and five children, he pursued a career in dairy farming before moving into the town of Kincardine.  He enjoys sports, music, history, and people. Mayor Craig had served three terms as a councillor in the Municipality of Kincardine before successfully running for the position of mayor in the 202...

Fred was raised in South Windsor where he attended Notre Dame Catholic Elementary School and Holy Names Catholic High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (combined honours History/Political Science) from Western University in 2003 and studied at the University of Windsor, earning both a Master of Arts degree (History) in 2006 and a Bachelor of Education degree in 2009. Prior to being elect...

Kathryn is a first term Town of Aylmer councillor and a long-term resident of the community. As a dedicated mother, she understands the importance of family, community, and a diverse representation of town council. Kathryn has tremendous pride and commitment for the community of Aylmer. She volunteers and serves for several community groups including; Municipal Finance Committee, EECC Board of Gov...

Morgaine is a first term Central Elgin councillor in the ward her family has called home for eight generations. She lives in Sparta with her children - Elliot, Robin, and Sage. As a member of council, Morgaine serves on the boards for Catfish Creek Conservation Authority and Central Elgin's Not for Profit Housing board. She is also a director on the board of Nokee Kwe, an indigenous-led employment...

Driven to improve lives and strengthen community, Kelly has worked in the non-profit sector for 25 years. She is an award-winning communicator who received her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2003 and is an alumna of King’s University College and Western University. Kelly values inclusion, equity, clear-eyed compassion and leading by example. You can follow/support Council C...

Alysson Storey is a first-term municipal Councillor for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, representing Ward 6 Chatham. In addition to her Council role, she is a senior communications and planning professional with over two decades working in the public, private and non-profit sectors both across Canada and Europe. In 2017, Alysson turned personal tragedy into advocacy, successfully securing a $1Bi...

Cathy Miller is a first term Mayor of one of Ontario's smallest Municipalities; the Township of Pelee. She calls Pelee Island home and runs a 10 room Inn alongside husband Kevin and pouncing pup, Jody. You can follow/support Council Conversations on the following platforms. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Councilconvo or http://twitter.com/frazier_fathers The podcast is now hosted on https://gingerpo...

The Friends of Ojibway Prairie is a registered charity and volunteer organization dedicated to promoting public awareness of the Ojibway Prairie Complex and its unique biological, cultural and historical importance. The Friends work closely with the City of Windsor and Ontario Parks to provide assistance with educational programs, special events and restoration projects. For more information: www....

A special episode of Council Conversations where in 2 minutes - 6 City Councillors and 9 Community Leaders share their priorities and key items for the City of Windsor Budget 2024 Conversation Participants Renaldo Augstino – Ward 3 Councillor Gary Kaschak – Ward 8 Councillor Fiona Coughlin - CEO, Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin – Executive Director Downtown Mission Joyce...

Quick update on Council Conversations and 2024 You can follow/support Council Conversations on the following platforms. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Councilconvo or http://twitter.com/frazier_fathers The podcast is now hosted on https://gingerpolitics.com/category/council-conversations/ Support on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/councilconversations Like or rate and leave a comment on your favouri...

List to our first conversation here Darrin was first elected to Chatham-Kent Council in 2014. He served for one term as Councillor for Ward 6 before being elected Mayor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, he is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA, CA) and has a Chartered Director's designation from McMaster University...

Margaret is a passionate community builder, business developer, volunteer and mom. Prior to election, Margaret served as the Kitchener Trustee on the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) where she supported Kitchener students, parents and staff. She worked with fellow trustees and staff to manage a budget of over $638 million and serve the WRDSB's 63,000 students and 5,000 staff. As a Bus...

Dr. Audrey Jamal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management and the interim Assistant Dean (Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact) in the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. You can follow support Council Conversations on the following platforms. Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwoCouncil Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SWOCouncil Support on Patreon https://www.pat...

Peggy Brekveld is the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. She and her husband Gert have been farming together for over 28 years. They own Woodstar Farm, a 75-cow dairy farm in Murillo, near Thunder Bay and have five grown children. Peggy is also the chair of President's Council, Vice Chair of Canlead Solutions, Vice Chair of Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council and Vice Cha...