Drew Dilkens has officially launched his campaign for a fourth term as mayor of Windsor, and if re-elected, he says the next one will be his last.
Dilkens made the announcement during a news conference Friday inside the Paul Martin Building in downtown Windsor, saying if he’s re-elected, he will use the next four years to finish the work underway to secure Windsor’s future.
He says he’s committed to finishing the jobs that need to be done.
“Making sure we are protected as a community so that when I look back at my end of time in office, which absolutely would be at the end of this next term if the people-if I’m fortunate enough to receive the people’s confidence and get elected to one more term, it will be my last term as mayor guaranteed. Hard stop,” he says.
He also touted his experience and its importance as city council goes through a period of change around the council table with four incumbents not seeking re-election, including two of the longest-serving members, Ward 6’s Jo-Anne Gignac and Ward 5’s Ed Sleiman.
“A change at the mayor’s table at this time, and you will have the top three people in terms of the corporate memory of this city leaving. That is not change; that is danger,” he says.
Dilkens made several comments referencing Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis, who’s also running for mayor.
While he didn’t say his name, Dilkens says he wants to stand by his record and put their visions side by side, leadership qualifications side by side, and academic and experience qualifications side by side and ask residents who they think is best suited to lead over the next four years in this time of uncertainty.
When asked if he sees Francis as his main opponent in this election, Dilkens noted that every mayor in the City of Windsor has come from city council since around the 1930s.
“So when you have other members of council, whether it was someone like Chris Holt in the last election or the other guy this time around, clearly you’re going to take that seriously like you should in every election. I would not discount any other person who’s put their name forward,” he says.
While a full campaign platform and specific commitments will be released in the weeks ahead, Dilkens said his priorities are keeping Windsor affordable and taxes as low as we responsibly can; building more homes; protecting good-paying jobs and attracting new jobs and new investment; making streets safer and communities stronger; and focusing on the development of the Sandwich South lands.
The deadline to file nomination papers was 2 p.m. Friday.
According to the City of Windsor’s website, there are eleven candidates for mayor.
Along with Dilkens, the other candidates are Benjamin Danyluk, Aaron Day, Francis, Dylon Graves, Tara Grayer, Nick Kolasky, Tristan Ty Morencie, Kat Pasquach, Patrick Sutherland, and Louis Vaupotic.
The municipal election is set to take place October 26.