Written By David Gomez
Incumbent Mayor Colin Grantham is seeking a second term, facing Ward 2 Councillor Brian Derbyshire in the October 26 municipal election.
Raised on a farm near Melbourne, Grantham spent much of his professional career in the newspaper industry, holding management positions at the London Free Press, Hamilton Spectator and Kitchener-Waterloo Record before moving into sales. Elected mayor in 2022, he has emphasized leadership, accessibility and municipal development throughout his first term.
The Middlesex Banner interviewed candidate Grantham on September 28, discussing his background, Council’s accomplishments, infrastructure investments, the redevelopment of 137 Frank Street and disagreements surrounding municipal decision-making.
Reporter: Could you tell us about your background and the professional experience you brought to the mayor’s office?
Colin Grantham: I was raised on a farm outside Melbourne. We moved to my grandfather’s farm when I was 10, and I grew up on a pig farm. I wanted to be a veterinarian and had been accepted to the University of Guelph. That was my dream. But one day, I got a one-year temporary job at the London Free Press in production, making printing plates. I think my farm-boy work ethic did me well because, after six months, they offered me a full-time job. My whole background is about affecting change, creating teams and leadership.
R: How have you changed since becoming mayor?
Grantham: Anyone who is confident and comfortable with themselves would admit that they have learned a lot. I knew that going into it. I’m comfortable with the process of learning.
R: How do you deal with disagreements among councillors?
Grantham: My expectation at Council, because I ran on this, is that there should be debate— respectful, meaningful debate. It’s good for democracy. It’s good for the municipality to have that. I just try to manage it so that it’s respectful. I’m a product of my environment and what I did professionally.
R: What do you consider Council’s most important accomplishments over the past four years?
Grantham: Overall, we have accomplished a lot. Nobody can take that away from us. The front door to Town Hall is open. Before this term, there was negativity towards Town Hall in terms of customer service. We have gone a long way towards changing that.
We have completed some major roadwork that needed to be done. We have started that process, and we have completed two major parks in this community. Parks are a big one for me. We have also really repaired our relationship with Adelaide Metcalfe. I would concede that we may have been a little slow out of the gate, which is why I want to be mayor again.
R: Why should Mount Brydges residents have confidence in the municipality’s approach to wastewater infrastructure?
Grantham: The solution we put in place was actually recommended by the previous term of Council.
I think this Council did the right thing. There were questions, so we took a second look at it. We had three engineering firms involved. Councillor Derbyshire asked, on behalf of the neighbours, for a special Council session with a third-party engineer to talk to us about the process, and Council agreed. In the end, Council said, let’s get an independent third party to review everything. We put everything on the table, and the review came back and said we were on the right path and should continue with what we were doing. Council finally made a decision on a file that had been lingering over this community for eight or nine years.
R: How important is industrial development to your plans for another term?
Grantham: I would probably say it’s my number one priority. We need industrial growth, and it has really helped us. Last year, our growth rate was 2.5%. You have no idea how much that helped with our taxes.
People need to understand that there’s one pot of money. The fact that we have attracted companies like Norbec and Burnbrae helps even the people who live down in South Caradoc or Melbourne. It all goes into one pot. Industrial development brings jobs, but it also helps everything else. That’s why I talk about regional growth and partnering with Adelaide Metcalfe. It helps all of us.
R: At what point did Council approve the overall scope of the 137 Frank Street redevelopment?
Grantham: There is currently no policy in place requiring staff to come to Council and ask for approval on everything. Council had approved the customer service review, and we had allocated the money. Staff presented a proposal during a special session, and there were questions about what had and hadn’t been approved. Those questions don’t bother me. To me, it was an easy fix. You can’t approve things during a special session, and the Council meeting was the following week. Just bring it before Council.
R: What should Council’s role be in overseeing projects and municipal staff?
Grantham: We are a governance body. You entrust your staff, and you give them the money. Yes, they should update you, but we don’t have a policy, bylaw or regulation in place saying they have to come and tell you everything. If Council wants to establish that, then do it. But we are not meant to be down there telling staff how to dig the ditch. That’s not our job.
R: Looking back, is there a Council decision you would have handled differently?
Grantham: The fact that I’m having to think about it should tell you something. I can’t think of one, because that’s what Council is there for. There’s no such thing as a wrong decision. The only bad decision is no decision.
We proved that with the Mount Brydges wastewater treatment plant. The decision we made wasn’t wrong. The wrong decision would have been to delay, delay and delay, and keep kicking the can down the road.
R: What do you think about the increasingly confrontational campaign on social media?
Grantham: This is a very unusual campaign in all kinds of municipalities. Facebook is lit up. There’s a lot of negativity out there. It’s not unexpected. That doesn’t make it right, but it’s the society we live in now. It’s a campaign, and you have to take the good with the bad. What frustrates me is that I want to debate the facts. I would rather focus 80% of our time on what we are going to do moving forward. If you’re always looking in the rear-view mirror, you are going to miss the opportunity in front of you.
R: What would you say to residents still deciding who should lead Strathroy-Caradoc?
Grantham: You have got to look at the list of accomplishments. We have accomplished a lot, and I will allow myself to say that it has been through my leadership of Council. I won’t take credit for the votes, but my calm leadership has helped get things done. I have led us through a period of transition. There were five new members of Council when we came in, including myself, the deputy mayor and three councillors.
I have kept my word to people. I said I would have an open door. Maybe, to my detriment, I have been too accountable and accessible, but that’s the job of the mayor. My main commitment when I ran was to be accountable and accessible, and I have done those things.
We have things we need to get done. My leadership style works, and we do not need chaos.
