The City of Dryden’s current City Councillor and former Chief of Police, Shayne MacKinnon, has put his name forward to lead the community as Mayor.
“After much support and encouragement from many of you I have decided to run for the office of Mayor in Dryden,” wrote MacKinnon. “We have such a great community and I would be honoured to continue to serve as a member of city council.”
MacKinnon was elected into his second term as a City Councillor in October 2018 and has since represented the city on the board of the Northwestern Health Unit. MacKinnon had previously served as a councillor between 2012 and 2014.
During his recent term, Shayne hasn’t shied away from playing the ‘devil’s advocate’ role by airing his opinions against what the city may have been proposing at the time, and in his own way, worked to push the city forward in a number of ways.
Throughout his tenure, MacKinnon was a vocal supporter of keeping the Dryden Police Service and its members as the service’s former Chief, and along with leadership, fellow councillors and Mayor Greg Wilson, helped to reduce Dryden’s longstanding $26 million debt down to about $7 million.
MacKinnon would also move to condemn Senator Lynn Beyak after her offensive actions towards Indigenous Canadians, is a co-chair and key member of the city’s Indigenous Working Circle which worked to rename Colonization Avenue, and helped to introduce a Treaty #3 Land Acknowledgment at public meetings and events.
As it stands, MacKinnon joins one other candidate, retired forester and former Domtar manager Jack B. Harrison, in the Mayoral race.
Incumbent Mayor Greg Wilson has confirmed with Q104 and DrydenNow that he will not be running for re-election this fall, as he takes a step back from politics to focus on his business and family.
And as of August 9, with only 10 days left to file nomination papers, no one has put their name forward to become a councillor in Dryden.
That includes every current city councillor, being: Michelle Price, Dave McKay, Martin MacKinnon, John Carlucci and Norm Bush, who have all not announced any re-election campaigns.
The deadline for residents to file their nomination papers is Friday, August 19. The 2022 Municipal Election is set for October 24, 2022, with in-person, online and by-phone voting.
Eligible voters are encouraged to make sure they are on the Municipal and School Board Elections voters’ list by visiting VoterLookup.ca, which is separate from the provincial election’s voter list.