Michael Eamon Elected Peterborough’s New Mayor, Promises ‘A Better Peterborough Begins Now’
/By Scott Arnold
After six months of campaigning, Michael Eamon will become Peterborough’s next mayor, promising to bring change to City Hall, restore civility and accountability, strengthen relationships with the county and turn his plans for the city into action.
Michael eamon hugs his wife jennine moments after it was announced he was elected mayor for the city of peterborough (photo by Scott Arnold).
Michael Eamon will be Peterborough’s next mayor after winning Monday’s municipal election with 10,867 votes, finishing ahead of Neil Morton, who received 7,372 votes, in unofficial results released by the City of Peterborough.
Eamon’s victory brings a new mayor to City Hall after a six-month campaign built around the need for change, better cooperation and a renewed focus on the people and organizations working to make Peterborough a better place to live.
Michael eamon humbly waves to the crowd of supporters at market hall on monday night as he took to the stage for his speech (photo by scott arnold)
Speaking to supporters after the results came in, Eamon made it clear that he sees the election as more than a personal victory.
“In my mind, this has not been, never been, a campaign of one, but a movement of many, coming together for a better Peterborough,” he said.
Eamon also paid tribute to the six other mayoral candidates, acknowledging the personal sacrifices that come with running for office and thanking them for putting forward their ideas for the community.
He specifically recognized Keith Riel for his 16 years of service to the City of Peterborough.
But with the campaign over, Eamon said the focus now has to shift to getting things done.
“It is now time to transform plans into action, goodwill into good governance, to bring back civility to Council, accountability to City operations and, in doing so, prosperity to all of us,” he said.
During his speech, michael eamon was quick to centre out his campaign team and family for helping him get to this point (photo by scott arnold)
A Promise To Bring Change To City Hall
Eamon has spent more than 30 years working in government in various roles, but becoming mayor represents a new chapter in that career.
Asked how it felt to win, he described the experience as “almost like an out-of-body experience,” while emphasizing the responsibility that comes with the result.
“It was also wonderful and such a deep honour to have the trust of the citizens of the city,” he said.
Eamon says one of his first priorities will be to establish a working relationship with the City’s chief administrative officer (CAO) and ensure staff and council are working toward common goals.
“We need to have a kind of a connection with council. We need to bring back in this idea that we're working together,” he said.
“A spirit of openness and also a spirit of public service needs to return to the city and permeate all levels of the city.”
He also intends to set a different tone around the council table, describing his goal as a more civil and productive approach to governing.
As mayor, Eamon said he wants to act as a team leader while recognizing that the mayor is “first amongst equals.”
He also plans to reach out to the other mayoral candidates, whether they won or lost, to find ways to work together.
“I've built this whole campaign on bringing people together and that's not going to stop,” he said.
“We can only move forward together if we truly are together.”
Eamon believes that bringing people together will be essential to making progress on the challenges facing the city.
Michael Eamon went off script and spoke from the heart during his campaign speech on monday night at market hall (photo by scott arnold)
Homelessness, Downtown Wellness And Economic Growth
During his victory speech, Eamon said residents can expect updates in the coming weeks about his proposed mayoral task forces, including those focused on homelessness and wellness in the downtown.
He has also committed to working on both immediate priorities and longer-term strategies for the city.
In his media scrum following the speech, Eamon identified the relationship between the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County as one of the biggest obstacles to making progress on jobs and investment.
“I think we need to put out that olive branch,” he said.
Eamon wants the city and county to work more closely on tourism, economic development, environmental policy, social services and development lands.
“We need to look at a whole new deal with the county,” he said.
He acknowledged that residents may be skeptical after hearing similar promises before, but said he believes progress can begin through consistent, ongoing work.
“We need to start change, but it has to be persistent change,” he said.
Eamon also identified collaboration with major local employers, including Trent University, Fleming College and Peterborough Regional Health Centre, as an early priority.
Looking further ahead, he wants to build what he described as the “missing middle” of industrial development that Peterborough needs to support economic growth.
His plans are laid out in a series of four-year priorities published during the campaign. He says the coming weeks will bring more information about how those commitments will move forward as he transitions into City Hall.
Mchael eamon gets a hugs from his family after coming off the stage at market hall on election night (photo by scott arnold)
