BIOGRAPHY
My name is Mark Goetz and I live on a beef farm located on the 8th Concession of Carrick Township.
My spouse is Dawn Kennedy and I have three daughters – Cayley Boulton, Courtney Grubb and MacKenzie Goetz – along with six grandchildren.
I have been employed at Wescast Industries in Wingham for the last 35 years – 20 years as the union president, where I assisted with over 20 successful labour contracts. In my tenure, I have been contacted by MPs amd MPPs to sit in meetings with various ministers, including agriculture, labour and education, to discuss provincial and local issues.
I sat on the Bruce County Cattlemen for 10 years, serving as president in 2005-06. I’ve judged 4-H cattle shows, participated in Roots of Bruce, assisted when asked by the Mildmay Rotary Club, Mildmay Ag. Society and 4-H kids. I’ve participated with concerned ratepayers in approaching the school board to keep Mildmay-Carrick Public School in town.
I currently sit in my second term (eight years) as councillor for the Mildmay Ward. Four of those years have been as deputy mayor, and three months as acting mayor, which gave me the opportunity to sit at the county level. Other committees associated with my terms on council have been: Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, South Bruce Business Association, Belmore Arena Board, Fence Viewers and the South Bruce Community Liaison Committee. I also sat on the South Bruce working group with the NWMO.
My goals are to continue to build a strong and united community, to be consistent across the municipality and to be mindful of all ratepayers.
BIGGEST ISSUE
I think the biggest challenge that our municipality faces is the we are short changing our asset management plan by millions of dollars each year. We can address that challenge through growth to residential and industrial applications or taxation. I believe we need to keep an open mind to explore all growth possibilities to the fullest before raising taxation.
I am in favour of a referendum, but only after all testing and peer reviews have been completed, so that a truly informed decision can be made.
I have experience in municipal politics. parliamentary procedures, negotiations, human rights, employment standards, wages and benefits, performance reviews, public speaking, and potentially making unpopular but necessary decisions.
I consider myself an organized leader, with excellent memory retention, a critical thinker, and a team player.
I have a strong voice for our farming community. I’m a life-long resident of South Bruce and I plan to remain here.
