DAN CEARNS, The Standard
SCUGOG: Longtime Scugog Councillor Wilma Wotten is running to be the Township’s next Mayor. Ms. Wotten has served as the Ward 4 Councillor and, most recently, as Scugog’s Regional Councillor. Current Scugog Mayor Bobbie Drew announced she wouldn’t be running for re-election earlier this year.
“I always said I wouldn’t run against Mayor Drew. But, when she decided she wasn’t going to run [for] another term, I started thinking about it. I kind of thought maybe it was my turn, my time,” Ms. Wotten explained to The Standard. “It’s always good to continue to grow and build yourself.”
Ms. Wotten mentioned a number of township initiatives she hopes to continue if elected mayor, including helping to expand the local long-term care facility in Port Perry and advancing initiatives recommended in the Waterfront Action Plan. “I have that experience to help lead us to do that,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of Scugog growing as a municipality to help aid the current housing crisis in Ontario.
The longtime councillor mentioned one thing she’s learned from her time as part of the Scugog council. “How people see things can be very different. [They may] want the same goal, but how it’s achieved can be seen differently, through different eyes.”
Listing what she could bring to the mayor’s position, Ms. Wotten noted her experience as a councillor, her desire to bring new ideas to council discussions and her reputation as a “fair and good leader.”
“I have a strong belief that we are one of the nicest places in Ontario to live,” she said.