A Morpeth man working in collision repair has put his name in for Chatham-Kent's (CK) next municipal council.
Chad Carnie is officially running to be one of two Ward 2 Councillors. The area currently has three representatives, but will officially lose one after the current council approved shrinking its size and boundary lines.
Carnie told CK News Today that he threw his hat in the ring when current Councillor John Wright announced he was not running for the next term.
"I heard John wasn't going to run again, and I kind of started to get worried about who's going to represent us. I feel like why try to rely on somebody else to make the good decisions that I feel need to be made when I could just do it myself," he said.
When discussing major issues within the municipality, Carnie explained he would like to find a way to reduce taxes by attracting more people to move to CK.
"The one thing I think everybody's concerned about in CK is the cost of our taxes, and one way to help with that would be to have a bit more of a population to, you know, share that bill," he continued.
According to Carnie, a review of development charges in the area is scheduled for next year. He believes that lowering building permit fees might make CK a more desirable area for families looking to move.
Building his campaign on being "a very average guy", Carnie believes he would be a good fit because he's just like a lot of residents.
"I think that's a pretty good reason. To want to be represented by somebody that is like you and sees things the way you see things, and I feel like that's me," Carnie added.
CK's election will be on October 26, 2026.
