Bill Pickard never dreamed of running for political office, but the 72-year-old Thamesville resident says he “feels compelled to run for mayor.”
He recently filed his nomination papers, making it a three-way mayoral race at this point with incumbent Darrin Canniff and another political newcomer Andy Fisher also seeking the municipality’s top job.
Noting he doesn’t like the direction that Chatham-Kent has gone in recent years, Pickard said a lack of candidates sharing his principles prompted his decision.
“I don’t see anybody from a younger generation stepping forward to espouse what I consider to be grassroots Canadian values,” Pickard said.
Pickard is proud of his lack of political experience and name recognition, saying it gives him a different perspective.
“I’m a common man,” he said.
Instead of being from a “political class family,” Pickard said his relatives are truck drivers, factory workers and farmers.
One of the issues that concerns Pickard is the growing number of homeless people across the municipality, noting that people are even living rough in the smaller communities of Chatham-Kent.
He also didn’t like the lack of community consultation during discussions about the temporary homeless shelter that was established at a former school on Murray Street in Chatham.
“What we need to do in Chatham-Kent is focus on Chatham-Kent,” Pickard said. “It’s the old case of charity begins at home. Value structures begin at home. Everything starts at home.”
Pickard said he also believes Chatham-Kent needs more jobs. While acknowledging there are numerous employers in the region who are struggling to fill positions, Pickard said these companies “have put a lot of restrictions on who they will employ.”
As an example, he said many employers now require their workers to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
“I’m unvaxxed. I have no qualms about saying that,” Pickard said.
Mandatory vaccinations, he added, would be another issue he would address if elected mayor.
Pickard, who said he has a bachelor of arts degree with honors from the University of Windsor and teaching certificate from Western University, said he’s also concerned about farmers being told what to do with land, specifically with respect to woodlots.
He questioned how someone living in an apartment in Chatham can have a say in what a farmer can and can’t do with their land.
If people don’t want farmers to cut down their woodlot, he suggested providing them with financial or other incentives.