Cathy Dobson/The Independent

One week after overwhelmingly unseating Sarnia’s eleven-term mayor, Carrie McEachran explains the moment she decided to run.

It was while she watched a city council meeting last year that lasted for hours, focused on the behaviour of one disorderly member, and resulted in no decisions.

That clinched it.

“I thought, this is ridiculous. We’re never going to get anything done in this city if this keeps happening.

“I think if you are doing your homework and preparing for your meetings, you can ask for more information prior to the meeting, so you can make a decision,” she said.

Not only did she unseat a mayor of 38 years, but she did it by earning nearly double his votes and becoming Sarnia’s first female head of council.

McEachran, 52, says she was encouraged by many supporters to bypass a term as a councillor and immediately run for mayor because she has extensive experience as a CEO, most recently at the local Chamber of Commerce. She’s chaired many meetings using Robert’s Rules of Order, which also govern city hall meetings.

“I feel like I’ve been in politics my whole life,” she said. “I think with my experience in collaboration, with governance and change management, the mayor’s seat is where my experience is needed.

“I’ve had to pull out the Municipal Act many times when the Chamber advocated on different issues. I’ve been in front of council; I’ve been in front of the mayor.

“I have no concerns going into this at all.” 

This week, she is talking with the newly-elected or re-elected council members, and Sarnia CAO Chris Carter.

“Right away, I want to have one-on-one meetings to find out what makes them tick and how we can work together, come to consensus and make decisions,” she said. “There hasn’t been that collaboration. Things are going to change.

“The mayor’s door is going to be open for anybody to come in and talk.”

McEachran says there is also going to be a new relationship between her office and city staff.

Sarnia city hall has “some really great staff,” she said. “I just can’t help but wonder if we allowed them to do their jobs, what magic they could do.”

She’s also got a meeting scheduled with former mayor Mike Bradley to discuss the transition and the practical aspects of McEachran moving into the corner office at city hall.

“We have had a mayor for almost 39 years, and I don’t know that I have ever met anyone who loves his community as much as Mike Bradley does,” she said. “He should be so proud of his work. Obviously, he was voted in for 11 terms.

“For me, a big priority would be to have him be a big part of the transition if he’s willing,” she said. “The history and connections that he has…I would love to have him as a mentor for at least a little while.”

Following is The Independent’s interview with McEachran, edited for brevity.

Q: There’s been many very good candidates who ran against Mike Bradley over the years. Why do you think you were able to win, and win by so many votes?

A: “Timing is everything. I think people were ready for the change.  It’s been a long four years, not just for council and city hall staff, but for the entire community. I felt that when I made the decision to run.  I was originally going to wait til the next election and then, speaking to people and seeing through my lens at the Chamber, I realized now was the time.”

Q:  What do you mean when you say it’s been a long four years?

A:  “It’s been a long four years without a lot of decorum in council chambers. Because of that, decisions weren’t made and the community has been stagnant. So again, Sarnia was ready for the change.”

Q: You’ve frequently said you’ll move Sarnia forward. What’s that mean?

A: “It means a lot. Sarnia needs to be put on the map for the right reasons, and we haven’t been on the map for the right reasons for the last several years. I spend a lot of time in Toronto and Ottawa with my councils and committees, and Sarnia gets talked about, not because we’re doing great things, but because of what was happening in council chambers.

“I’ve been told a black cloud has lifted and there’s new energy now.”

Q:  The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) says fewer female candidates enter politics because they have less access to donors, there are stereotypes about their qualifications, and they are concerned about harassment on the campaign trail. Did you experience any of that?

A: “For me, I don’t think it’s a gender thing. I received a lot of quiet support during the campaign and many donors.  But I do think harassment was focused on the two female (mayoral) candidates, Chrissy (McRoberts) and me when she was still running for mayor.

“Once Chrissy made a decision to drop out of the mayoral race, the harassment was all on me and I thought several times during the past few months, this is the reason why women don’t run because it was a whole lot. I guarantee the men running didn’t experience half of what I did.”

Q: Did you ever consider dropping out because of it?

A: “Yes. I can handle it but, for me, it was when my family became involved and my children were stalked and harassed (on social media), when people were driving past my family home. That’s when it became pretty serious to me and I wondered if I wanted to put my family through this.”

Q: What convinced you to stay in it?

A: “My family and my (campaign) team. My children are adults and they said we can handle this and you need to keep going.”  McEachran has a son, 28, a daughter, 25, and three stepchildren ages 24 and 20-year-old twins.

Q: What happens now to your job at the Chamber and your provincial appointment to the Sarnia Police Services Board?

A: “I’m helping them at the Chamber for a couple of weeks to wrap up a few things while they hire a new CEO. I intend to be a full-time mayor in the beginning and give 100% to the city. But I will need to work at some point and staying with the Chamber would create a conflict of interest.

“As for the police services board, I will step down from that appointment before I’m sworn in (as mayor), so that will be open for the general public to apply for. And I think it’s really important for the mayor to be at that table, so I will be sitting on the board as the mayor.”

Q:  Do you support financing a new police headquarters?

A: “No, not in my time. We need to earmark money for the infrastructure in (the existing) building, for the safety of the people working there and the safety of the visitors who go there.”

The new mayor and city council will be sworn in on Monday Nov. 16. Place and time are to be confirmed. The inaugural meeting of the new council is Monday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m.