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There are under 100 days for residents to decide if they would like to run as a candidate in the 2026 municipal election, and first-term Penetanguishene council members shared what to expect in preparation to have their name put on the ballot.
At the recent regular meeting of council, Penetanguishene clerk Kelly Cole was asked to provide information on how residents could learn more about the engagement process to run for a seat on council.
“Indeed, 2026 is an election year and it’s very exciting,” Cole began. “Every election needs candidates, and if you’re thinking of running for council, visit the town of Penetanguishene website where you’ll find a candidate portal with all the information needed to run for council.
“Nominations will be opening Friday, May 1st at 8:30 a.m,. and will be open until Friday, August 21st at 2 p.m.,” Cole added.
Cole told MidlandToday that the Penetanguishene candidate portal was a good reference point full of resources, such as the town’s guiding document called the strategic plan as well as dates and times for council meetings so residents would be aware of schedules.
“The candidate portal has a lot of resources in terms of town bylaws, plans, policies, procedures that the town works off of, and references that would give a good sense as to where the municipality is heading,” said Cole. “There is a lot of great information there that would help make that decision if they are looking to do so.”
Cole added that she and other election staff would be available should residents have further questions regarding the process.
First-term councillors were also asked by MidlandToday what they hadn’t expected when they ran for their council position in 2022, and what they could impart upon residents interested in becoming council members.
The straightforward response from Coun. Bill Waters: “There’s a lot of reading for a fair amount of time. It’s about half evening and half daytime, so you have to have that flexibility. You can’t please everybody. If you’re self-employed, there’s a good chance it’s going to cost you money because you’ll lose customers.”
Coun. Suzanne Marchand shared that to run for a council position, residents would require a passion for their municipality and an appetite to make an impact on decisions as the government representation closest to the people.
“What you can expect is to learn a lot,” said Marchand. “About the Planning Act; to understand why we remove snow when it hits a certain level; how our water is tested; how we ensure that we are making our town as safe as possible. The amount of information you learn in those first few months – in the first few council meetings – I think there’s a bit of a feeling of being overwhelmed.”
Marchand noted that reliance on town staff to clarify matters through reports was a necessity, while also echoing Waters’ sentiment on needing the time to commit for reading the council packages.
Coun. Bonita Desroches had sat through many council meetings as a long-time recreation director for Tiny Township before her first term as Penetanguishene councillor, but even she had recognized the difference from one side of the dias to the other.
“Even with the experience that I’ve had as (municipal) staff, there’s still quite a learning curve,” said Desroches. “It’s about policy – it’s just a much higher level discussion.
“So people need to really get involved, find out, get educated about processes and how things are moved forward,” Desroches added, suggesting that residents learn about regular council and committee of the whole meetings.
Said Desroches: “I think that if people can get involved earlier than later, it’s a much easier transition to the role of governance.”
To run for the 2026 municipal election of Penetanguishene council, residents must complete all forms within the candidate package, including: the nomination form; an endorsement of 25 signatures; consent to release personal information; declaration of qualifications; and proof of identification. As well, an appointment must be booked with election staff to file nomination papers.
Full information on the nomination process and candidate packages can be located on the election candidate portal of the Town of Penetanguishene website.
Meetings of Penetanguishene council are held on the second Wednesday of each month, and can be watched live on Rogers TV cable 53, or on the Rogers TV website.
Archives of council meetings are located on the Town of Penetanguishene YouTube channel.
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