Art Hannigan
Candidate for Mayor
No fancy promises. Just practical, grassroots steps with you our residents in the driver's seat. North Frontenac deserves qualified, prepared leadership that puts roads, fiscal responsibility, and community first.
Who I Am
About Art
I grew up in Cape Breton the kind of place where you learn early that community isn't a slogan, it's the people you rely on through a Cape Breton winter. I left at seventeen for a communications school in Kingston, and life took me west through the prairies, over the Rockies, and eventually back east. I found North Frontenac, and I stayed.
For over two decades, Lindsey and I have called this township home. We kayak the lakes in the morning, walk the trails, go mushrooming in the fall. Our studio looks out over the same creek as our cabin. This is not a place I moved to for a campaign it's where I chose to build a life.
Over the past year I've made a deliberate investment in preparing for this role. I've completed certifications in Crisis Management and Innovation Management, and will complete further certifications in Economics, Finance and Accounting, Human Resource Management, Strategy and Operations, and Sustainable Development before election day. This isn't a refresher course it's a commitment. Our township has paid the price for inexperience in the past, in money, in missed opportunities, and in reputation. We cannot keep learning by trial and error at the taxpayers' expense.
I've attended council meetings, read the budget documents, walked the roads, and listened. Plevna. Cloyne. Ompah. Snow Road. Ardoch. The concerns I hear are consistent across every corner of this township: roads that cost families money every year in vehicle repairs, budgets that are hard to follow, and a feeling that decisions get made before the public meeting even starts.
I'm running because I believe we can do better. Not louder better.
What I Stand On
Values & Principles
These aren't aspirational. They're the standards I hold myself to and the ones I want on the record when my actions get tested against them.
You Are in the Driver's Seat
Governance works when residents are genuinely involved not just consulted after decisions are already made. I will push for resident-led ward committees, open budget sessions, and real public input before anything significant moves forward.
No Big Spending Sprees
Smart fixes that save money long-term. Every dollar spent must come with a justification, a plain-language explanation, and public reporting. Existing budgets, provincial and federal grants, and targeted new revenue not endless tax hikes.
Plain Talk, Not Spin
If something isn't working, I'll say so. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out and report back. Council decisions should be explained in language every resident can understand not buried in procedure and jargon.
Show Up
Showing up is how a thought at the kitchen table becomes something real. It's also how you protect your credibility. When you show up to listen not just to react you're harder to ignore. I intend to show up every time.
Rural First
Our challenges are not the challenges of a suburb or a city. North Frontenac is Shield country. Seasonal residents. Long roads. Limited services. Crown land on every side. Policies must be made by people who understand that and I do.
Prepare Before Problems Arrive
Crisis management is not guesswork. Whether it's another wildfire season, infrastructure failure, or economic pressure we must be ready. I have invested in the skills to lead through difficulty, not scramble through it.
My Commitments
Platform Positions
Seven clear commitments to the residents of North Frontenac built straight from what residents have told me matters most. No fancy promises. Practical grassroots steps, starting with your biggest headaches.
Resident-led ward committees to rank fixes, a 3% dedicated roads levy, and a public Roads Repair Tracker updated quarterly.
One-page plain-language budget summaries, full breakdowns on all council votes, and a Q&A at every meeting before adjournment.
Mandatory 30-day public input on anything over $25,000 or any significant change. Annual ethics training. A public integrity board.
Broadband expansion partnerships, Community Improvement Plan funding for hamlet areas, and resident say-so on major projects.
Eco-friendly dust control alternatives, stronger shoreline and septic rules, and green energy projects that also build wildfire resilience.
Renegotiate fire service deals for equity across all wards, push the County for expanded paramedic coverage, and pilot tiny home and affordable housing options.
A modest 4% Municipal Accommodation Tax on STRs could bring $150,000–$250,000 annually without touching local property taxes and fund roads, housing, and community events.
On The Record
Weekly Updates
Every week between now and Election Day I'll post an update what I've heard, what's happening at council, and what I'm thinking about. No spin. The honest version.
Back the Campaign
Get Involved
Show your neighbours where you stand. Art will arrange delivery or pickup anywhere in the township.
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Contact Art
Have a question about my platform? A concern about your road? An issue you think council isn't addressing? Tell me what's on your mind I read and respond to every message personally.
Ontario, Canada
"I answer my own messages. You won't get a form letter. If you write to me, you'll hear back from me."
Art Hannigan