It’s a mid-afternoon Monday at the Cork & Bean in downtown Peterborough and Michael Eamon is experiencing something that will, predictably but wrongly, come his way rarely over the next four years: gratitude.
Walking to the George Street coffee shop, Peterborough’s mayor-elect is stopped by a woman offering her congratulations. A counter employee at the Cork & Bean does the same, but stops short of offering a free cup of java.
And on his way back to City Hall where he has a temporary office, Eamon is approached and thanked over and over again by an appreciative business owner who makes no secret of which mayoral candidate he had voted for.
There’s no mention of crumbling city infrastructure, rising property taxes, or jobs lost due to plant closures during these interactions. The honeymoon period is underway in earnest, and is Eamon’s to enjoy — if only for a brief time.
A wider margin of victory than Eamon expected
Just a week earlier, the 54-year-old first-time political candidate was elected as Peterborough’s 64th mayor, winning decisively by close to 3,500 votes over Neil Morton, the closest of six challengers.
Since assuring “A better Peterborough begins now” during his victory speech, Eamon has allowed the significance of his election to sink in, all while accepting the good wishes and congratulations of many who anticipate, and hope upon hope, that his success will herald their success.
On reflection, Eamon readily admits his margin of victory, which brought him 36.7 per cent of the vote, came as a total surprise.
“Nobody runs thinking they’re not going to win — you have to be positive and put your energy into it — but there were moments during the campaign when we felt we were the underdogs,” reflects Eamon.
“Personally, I think that’s the best position to be in. You never want to be too confident. You want to be able to do more. I had a great team, many of whom, like me, had never been involved with a political campaign. We were hungry. We wanted to learn. We wanted to do our best. Was I ever scared or worried? All the time.”
“When you’re canvassing, you see the depth of concern. As a candidate, you become a lightning rod for every concern possible. Every night, I’d go home thinking ‘Oh my gosh, how am I going to do this?’ but every morning I’d wake up revitalized, thinking ‘We have to move forward. We have to win this. People need hope. People need to know that change is coming.'”
Setting council’s priorities and pressing pause on the proposed downtown arena
Throughout the campaign, Eamon’s skill as a team builder, developed over the past 12 years at Trent University in his role as principal of Catharine Parr Traill College, and prior in federal government roles, was highlighted as a significant attribute.
With five incumbent councillors and six new faces, including his own, on the new city council that will be sworn in November 19 at The Mount Community Centre, Eamon’s ability to bring people together will be tested.
To that end, he has already reached out to some of the newly elected, the plan being to meet with each one-on-one before convening a group retreat that Eamon pledges will be held locally.
“Every (new) council needs to set a vision for the next four years, and that is where we’re going to set that vision,” says Eamon, adding “From that vision, all policy and procedure follows. What are going to be our three or four key goals to meet?”
Peterborough, notes Eamon, faces a long list of challenges and needs, many of which the mayoral candidates touched on over the course of the campaign as well as heard at the door.
The proposed development of a new multi-use sport and entertainment complex in the downtown core is among them.
“The majority of the people I talked to during the campaign are against this, downtown or anywhere,” says Eamon, adding “There’s a very vocal group of people who do want it, and I understand why they want it.”
“I’ve read the 2018 report. The Memorial Centre is near the end of its life. But what I campaigned on is I want to press pause. Pause doesn’t mean throw it in the garbage or shelve it forever. Just breathe. Make sure all the appropriate people have been talked to. Make sure all the numbers are known. We have five new councillors that also don’t know the details.”
“Our portion (of the $170 million estimated cost) is $58 million, but that’s only going to go up. Let’s check out what the proposals are, what the business plan is, what the revenue generating schemes are … this is going to require private money, and a lot of it. And asking other levels of government to put in $50 million plus is massive.”
“We need a plan that people can see themselves in. The people who are against it don’t see themselves in it. We need to somehow bring in the rest of the community and make a case for why it’s important.”
Rebuilding economic ties with the county as budget pressures mount
Economic development, and a widely perceived lack of activity in that area, is something else Eamon plans to get up to speed on in a hurry.
“There’s a new strategic plan underway right now and one of the first things I’ll be doing is finding out where we’re at with that and how are things moving,” he says.
“I see Peterborough as power hub but we’re not alone. Even though we don’t have official connections now with the county, we need to rebuild unofficially some of those connections to see how we can operate as an economic region.”
“I understand there were some issues and that the solution to the issues was to go separate ways and move things in-house,” says Eamon, referring to the dissolution of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development at the end of 2024 after the city, and subsequently the county, withdrew their core funding from the non-profit organization.
“I get it. It’s going to be an interesting tightrope to walk. I’m big on collaboration, but sometimes collaboration is seen as red tape, or just another level of government. I understand why the city went on its own, but I’d like to see a more collaborative relationship (with the county).”
And then there’s property taxes — a burden being carried mostly by residential ratepayers as opposed to industries using city services.
“The reality is we have massive infrastructure costs coming. Things like diesel fuel are going up in price. The city’s fixed costs aren’t so fixed. That gets downloaded onto taxpayers. This tax season is going to be tough. A lot needs to be addressed. Course correction — what council can do — is going to be a bit limited until the next cycle of the budget.”
Eamon acknowledges the honeymoon period, of hearing daily pleasantries as opposed to criticisms of his performance and that of city council, will come to an end as quickly as it started.
“I feel the weight of the trust that people have put in me, but there are some serious decisions ahead,” he says.
“I’m not alone. I’m first amongst equals; the team lead for this council. We have half newbies and half seasoned councillors. New people bring new ideas and perspectives. That’s a very good thing.”
What Eamon will bring from Trent University to city hall
As Eamon prepares for a new chapter, the closing of another is proving tougher to deal with.
“I’ve truly loved the work I’ve done at Trent,” he says, referring to his years as principal of Catharine Parr Traill College.
“For me, building community, making people feel connected, is so important. That motivates me. I’m going to miss that. But I ran because I believe I can do that on a larger scale. Trent, in many ways, was a great sandbox, a great proving ground.”
“I’ve been at city hall since Tuesday (the day after the October 26 election) so I can hit the ground running and have rich conversations with staff about where we need to go.”
That acclimatization has also seen Eamon meet with city clerk John Kennedy, elections supervisor Vicki King, and staff to thank them for their work facilitating the election. He has also sat down with outgoing mayor Jeff Leal, who offered him a temporary office at 500 George Street North.
While much has changed for Eamon, with more change to come, one constant has been his unabashed optimism for the city and those who call it home.
“There are lot of good things happening,” he says.
“Let’s not reinvent and create new shiny things. Let’s see and elevate what we have, and fix what isn’t working. Maybe that’s not a sexy approach to politics, but it’s very measured. Government is working well when you never hear about it.”
“I want to elevate the people who do good in the city, from city staff to people who are working for charities. The challenge is a lot of people are working away in silence. Part of what I want to do is make sure that credit is given where credit is due.”
‘I’m not doing this to be liked. I’m doing it for the city and the people I love.’
Meanwhile, to the oft-expressed view that Eamon is simply too nice a guy to hold political office, the subject of that opinion is having none of it.
“All my life I’ve worked in situations, be it in government or at the university, where people had dissenting opinions; where people were angry,” he says, adding “The only difference here (at city hall) is it’ll be a lot more public.”
“But from a young age, I’ve never liked being bullied. Even though I think I have a nice enough disposition, I don’t like to be pushed around. Sir John Macdonald and others have called politics the art of the possible. You have to see there is more than just one way, or the right way, or the wrong way, of doing things. There are many ways of doing things. I’ll need a thick skin because someone will always think the way I’ve chosen is the wrong way.”
“People already have a view of me, one way or the other. That’s fine. But I’ve always felt whatever modicum of power you have, you have to use it for the public good. I’ve done that all my life and now I can make some positive change.”
“One of my campaign slogans was ‘I like Mike.’ As much as it’s nice to like Mike, I’m not doing this to be liked. I’m doing it for the city and the people I love.”
Eamon will be inaugurated along with the rest of city council at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 19 in Austin Doran Hall at The Mount Community Centre. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the City of Peterborough website.
