Windsor's newly elected councillors are ready to get to work after a long campaign season.
Darcie Renaud, who will represent Ward 1, replaces Jo-Anne Gignac as the sole female voice around the table. As election results came down Monday night, Renaud said her focus will be on taking issues she heard at the door to city hall.
"I've been taking notes as I've been going door-to-door about neighbourhood level issues and the city-level issues that they're concerned about. I talked to them a lot about how I'd like to change the way the city budgets and a lot about transparency," she said.
Returning Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie indicated he's also focusing on neighbourhood issues. Particularly around public safety and traffic safety.
"The city is already engaged in a process, and I can acknowledge , that the Vision Zero program hasn't progressed at the implementation pace that I would be comfortable with," said McKenzie. "I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues , whoever it is who will be sitting at that table, to implement Vision Zero. It's a good plan i think we just need to have a little bit more political will in terms of the implementation."
Ward 2 Councillor Frazier Fathers is ready to return to serve his first full-term on Windsor City Council. He was first elected last October in a by-election. He said his focus will continue to be on advocating for more investments in housing and homelessness initiatives.
"Where we invest those dollars we can have a great debate over but we have to start investing in this space and not just waiting for the province or the feds to show up with a big check for us to then do something," said Fathers.
The new council and mayor will be sworn in at the end of November.
Other new faces around the table include Ken Acton for Ward 5, Jeremy Renaud in Ward 6, and Mark Masanovich for Ward 10. Chris Holt returns to the council table in Ward 4 after a failed mayoral campaign in 2022.
