Candidate name: Suzanne Seguin
Occupation: Co-owner Lighthouse Press,
Graphic Designer
Position on council: Deputy Mayor
Contact information:
Telephone: Home – 905 372-3984
Cell – 289-771-2214
Social Media:
Facebook: suzanneseguindm
Instragram: suzanneseguindm
Campaign web site: suzanneseguin.ca
Email: sseguin@bell.net
Biography:
I was born in 1953 in Prescott, Ontario, a beautiful town located on the St. Lawrence River. My parents, Ovila and Madeleine Seguin had four daughters. I loved living in a small town and spent many hours in our local library, reading and writing.
My first job was delivering newspapers. A few years later I worked for the Prescott Journal after school putting ads together for the weekly newspaper. I was elected to the Students’ Council at my high school in Grade 9. that was my first experience of speaking on behalf of my fellow students. My favourite subjects were History, Art and English.
After high school I went to St. Lawrence College and graduated with a diploma in Visual and Creative Design in 1974. This was before computers were used in the design field, so everything I do today has been self-taught. I worked in many printing companies doing design, layout, dark room work, and typesetting.
After a few years working as a marketing manager for international companies, I started my own business in graphic design and marketing communications. My business grew to employ 10 people and my firm was selected to work on many international assignments including the re-branding of Texaco stations to Esso. It was a $600,000 project back in the 1980s and employed a lot of people. My love of the newspaper industry intrigued me to start my own weekly newspaper during the 1990s recession. Not the best idea I have had, but this experience did teach me a lot about community service.
During my adult years, I helped organize three high school reunions, was chair of Prescott’s 2010 Bicentennial and the War of 1812 Bicentennial, was on Council for seven years, four as Mayor, was President of the Rotary Club, served on the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival board, Brockville’s Community Foundation board, Prescott and Brockville Chambers of Commerce and the Connect Youth committee.
In Cobourg I have served on the former Cobourg Economic Development Committee and Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) Cobourg and East Northumberland board. I am a current member of the Rotary Club of Cobourg, Sifton-Cook Heritage Centre, Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg and District Heritage Committee and Eye2Eye Film Festival.
The biggest joy in my life is being married to Gerry, my husband of eight years, and being mother to Stephanie, Stacey and Kaitlynn and stepmother to Andrew, Michael, Matthew and Nicholas. I have seven beautiful grandchildren who live in Toronto and Hamilton.
We moved to Cobourg eight years ago to be closer to our children and grandchildren and I love this community. It has a great beach, historic buildings and friendly people. What more could you ask for!
Gerry and I have published several books as co-owners of our company Lighthouse Press. In 2017 we worked with local historian Rob Mikel to design and print Cobourg – The Spirit of the Place featuring 40 years of Rob’s work on the architectural and social history of Cobourg. Gerry has written and produced several books including Memories from a Grey Wooden Box – the history of regiments from Cobourg that fought in World War One. Our most recent book was, Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On – 20 Years of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival.
I am very thankful to have the life I have, living every day with a loving husband, healthy and happy children and grandchildren and having the ability of serve this community of Cobourg!
Identify one hobby or guilty pleasure you do that is not related to your profession or politics:
Relaxing at home with a glass of wine watching Agatha Christie mystery movies on BritBox.
Please answer each question clearly and concisely in no more than 500 words.
1.Why are you running for council?
I have had the privilege of serving on municipal Council for two years in Cobourg as Councillor and for the past four years as Deputy Mayor. Previous to this I was Councillor and Mayor in the Town of Prescott for a total of seven years.
I am running for re-election for Deputy Mayor for Cobourg because this job is not yet done. I love this position on Council because it comes with the role of Budget Chief and the chair of the budget process.
Growing up I was taught that we should never spend more money than we have to spend. Municipal budgets are different than most personal or business budgets. Councils are mandated to adhere to provincial legislation such as the Ontario Municipal Act and the Planning Act that often determine what we can and cannot do with the money we receive each year from the tax levy. Every year during budget deliberations we receive a draft budget from staff that sets a tax levy based on what the various departments of the Town want to accomplish in the upcoming year.
When I became Deputy Mayor in 2018, it was my goal to make the budget process more open and transparent than it had previously been. The public was invited to come to Council to ask for what they wanted to see in the budget and organizations requesting a Community Grant were given the opportunity to make their ‘pitch’ to Council for funds.
There would be no more closed sessions for department directors to make their case for a budget they wanted. From the beginning of this term, presentations from staff have been done in open Council followed by almost 20 hours of deliberations in open sessions.
My record is one of looking after the money that we receive from the hard-working men, women and business owners of Cobourg. For my campaign for re-election as the Deputy Mayor in the 2022 election I would like people to consider that Suzanne has Proven Experience You Can Trust.
Did I mention that I love this job? My current hourly wage based on a 70-hour pay period is $17.07 per hour. I work at this job full-time as I am self-employed, but for four years my business has been put on hiatus due to the demands of the DM position. Every day is different with calls, emails, people to visit, reports to read…lots of reports to read and attending Council and Committee Meetings.
This term my boards and committees were:
Boards and Committees:
· Council Striking Committee
· Northumberland County Council (Alternate)
· Northam Industrial Park
· Cobourg Downtown Business Improvement Area Board
· Audit Committee
· By-law Review Team
· Community Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee
· Corporate Policy and Review Committee
For my 2022 campaign for re-election as Deputy Mayor, my Key Areas of Focus are:
• Responsible Budgets and Spending
• Citizen Involvement and Improved Service
• Balanced and Sustainable Development
• Progressive, Sound Strategic Planning
• Maintaining Cobourg Assets
Let’s work together to create a town that has a sustainable future.
My 13 years of experience in municipal government, including four years as your Deputy Mayor in Cobourg, have given me the skills and knowledge required to lead Council’s municipal governance and finance procedures. Producing a fair, responsible budget that reflects our core values, while keeping our taxes and debt under control, is my top priority for this next term of Council.
The pandemic has been tough on all of us, but the time has come for a new approach for Cobourg’s strategic plan, so Council gets more done in less time. We welcome new fresh ideas from our seniors, youth, families, and business owners. Initiatives will also include: innovative marketing for Cobourg, finding ways to save energy in our buildings and town vehicles, and taking another look at transit, parking and fees for services.
2. What is the single, primary reason you are running?
To chair the budget process and produce a fair, responsible budget that reflects our core values, while keeping our taxes and debt under control, is my top priority for this next term of Council.
3. What will you do to address this issue?
My experience is key to work with our new Council to create a Strategic Plan with goals that can be achieved in four years. Some Council members have added projects that took a tremendous amount of staff time and yielded very little return on investment for our residents and business owners. We have to focus on our mandate as a lower tier municipal Council and let Northumberland County use the over $15 million of our taxes they receive every year for issues like affordable housing, social services and the homeless.
4. Identify one success of the previous council?
Our Council, when faced with Covid-19 in 2020, managed the pandemic to the best of our abilities with the help of our staff, and to keep our residents safe. This was an unprecedented challenge. The ongoing mandates from the Province, health unit and hospitals for many shut downs were very difficult for our citizens and for staff and Council. Sickness, death, masks, vaccination protocols, business closures, loss of livelihoods and so much more were tough on everyone.
Council’s many discussions to close the beach to keep everyone safe generated hundreds of calls and emails on both sides and we had to respond to each one. At times this was exhausting for Council, as it was for everyone. Now, with the fall season here, we hope that if there is another wave of the pandemic, we can learn from experience and manage it successfully again.
5. Identify one criticism of the previous council?
The main criticism I have heard from our residents is that one member of this Council introduced a motion that would duplicate mandates that are the responsibility of Northumberland County.
This includes affordable housing, homelessness, and other social services. We are a lower tier municipality and our budget uses funds for police and bylaw, roads, sewers, sidewalks, transit, water and sewage treatment, asset management, parks and recreation, arts and culture, legislative services and finance.
The Town has created a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for affordable housing that can offer some assistance with building fees for development, but we do not have the resources or mandate to build affordable or rent geared to income units.
6. How will you address the one issue you identified from the previous council?
We should not try to be all things to all people. This next Council should get back to the basics of running a town and working with municipal partners for any additional projects that people suggest. As we near the end of this term, there are many projects we did not complete, primarily because of the need to refocus on unexpected issues.
Planning will begin during our Strategic Plan process early in the new term. Discussions held over two days will determine our roadmap for the next four years.
During our discussions concerning People, Places, Partnerships, Programs and Prosperity, Council will need to examine our key mandate as a municipality and only put ideas forward that can be accomplished in four years.
7. Why should voters select you over others?
I have held the position of Cobourg’s Deputy Mayor for four years and I have proven experience and knowledge to continue to bring common sense and accountability to the Council table. This is not an easy job and requires a commitment to listen to residents and business owners. We all have needs and wants, and the job of budget chief is to listen and to accomplish a fair and affordable budget that serves the majority of the citizens of Cobourg.
My job is not yet done. We need to change the culture at Town Hall so financial information is more transparent. With the high cost of living we are experiencing, it will be challenging to bring in a tax levy for 2023 and beyond that we can afford, while maintaining the level of services our residents expect.
This is not a stepping-stone to the position of Mayor. I will work full time as Deputy Mayor and continue to listen to people, help resolve concerns, be prepared for meetings, chair the budget process and fight for fairness, accountability and openness. This is a position that requires trust from the people we serve. They have to believe that you will do what you say you will do. I will always strive to earn that trust from the citizens of Cobourg and look forward to continuing in my job as Deputy Mayor from 2022-2026.
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