{"id":930,"date":"2026-03-04T10:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/?p=930"},"modified":"2026-03-04T10:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:00:04","slug":"serving-our-community-2026-municipal-election-information-for-oxford-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/local-watch\/serving-our-community-2026-municipal-election-information-for-oxford-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Serving Our Community: 2026 Municipal Election Information for Oxford Residents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As recently reported by Granthaven, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.granthaven.com\/post\/swox-councillor-jim-pickard-not-seeking-re-election-in-october-2026\">Councillor Jim Pickard<\/a> will not be seeking re-election after 15 years of service, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.granthaven.com\/post\/swox-mayor-david-mayberry-not-seeking-re-election-in-october-2026\">Mayor David Mayberry<\/a> has also announced he will be stepping aside. Their departures open key leadership roles at the SWOX council table \u2014 roles that will help shape decisions affecting our roads, services, budgets, and growth for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Municipal government is the level of government closest to daily life. Council decisions influence infrastructure, policing, planning, taxation, and the long-term direction of our community. The people who sit around that table matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the question becomes a simple one: would you consider running? Or is there someone you know \u2014 thoughtful, steady, community-minded \u2014 who should?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help residents explore that possibility, South-West Oxford is hosting open-house style Candidate Information Sessions, as covered by Heart FM News in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfm.ca\/news\/local-news\/swox-host-municipal-candidate-information-sessions\/\">SWOX Host Municipal Candidate Information Sessions<\/a>.\u201d The sessions are scheduled for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wednesday, March 4, 6:30\u20137:30 p.m.<\/strong> \u2013 Brownsville Fire Station<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monday, March 9, 6:30\u20137:30 p.m.<\/strong> \u2013 Beachville Fire Station<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These sessions walk prospective candidates through eligibility requirements, the nomination process, key dates, and what serving on council really entails. They offer a practical opportunity to ask questions and better understand the commitment involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oxford County is also hosting a county-wide Candidate Information Session on <strong>Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 p.m.<\/strong> in the Council Chambers at the Oxford County Administration Building, with an option to attend online. The session will include guidance from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and a municipal governance consultant. Details were reported by Heart FM in \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.heartfm.ca\/news\/local-news\/news-poll-municipal-election-campaign-2026\/\">News Poll: Municipal Election Campaign 2026<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nomination period runs from May 1 to August 21, with Election Day set for October 26, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strong communities don\u2019t happen by accident. They are built carefully by residents willing to serve \u2014 not for recognition, but out of a desire to steward what has been entrusted to them. At Stand4Oxford, we believe local leadership works best when it is steady, transparent, community-rooted, and attentive to long-term community wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open seats mean new voices will help shape Oxford County\u2019s future. If you have ever found yourself thinking, \u201cSomeone should step up,\u201d this may be the moment to consider whether that someone could be you \u2014 or someone you encourage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leadership at the municipal level is practical, grounded, and deeply local. If you\u2019re considering it, attend a session, ask questions, and take the first step. Our community\u2019s future depends on residents willing to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-comments\">\n\n\n\n\n\n\t<div id=\"respond\" class=\"comment-respond wp-block-post-comments-form\">\n\t\t<h3 id=\"reply-title\" class=\"comment-reply-title\">Leave a Reply <small><a rel=\"nofollow\" id=\"cancel-comment-reply-link\" href=\"\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930#respond\" style=\"display:none;\">Cancel reply<\/a><\/small><\/h3><form action=\"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/wp-comments-post.php\" method=\"post\" id=\"commentform\" class=\"comment-form\"><p class=\"comment-notes\"><span id=\"email-notes\">Your email address will not be published.<\/span> <span class=\"required-field-message\">Required fields are marked <span class=\"required\">*<\/span><\/span><\/p><p class=\"comment-form-comment\"><label for=\"comment\">Comment <span class=\"required\">*<\/span><\/label> <textarea id=\"comment\" name=\"comment\" cols=\"45\" rows=\"8\" maxlength=\"65525\" required><\/textarea><\/p><p class=\"comment-form-author\"><label for=\"author\">Name <span class=\"required\">*<\/span><\/label> <input id=\"author\" name=\"author\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" size=\"30\" maxlength=\"245\" autocomplete=\"name\" required \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"comment-form-email\"><label for=\"email\">Email <span class=\"required\">*<\/span><\/label> <input id=\"email\" name=\"email\" type=\"email\" value=\"\" size=\"30\" maxlength=\"100\" aria-describedby=\"email-notes\" autocomplete=\"email\" required \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"comment-form-url\"><label for=\"url\">Website<\/label> <input id=\"url\" name=\"url\" type=\"url\" value=\"\" size=\"30\" maxlength=\"200\" autocomplete=\"url\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"comment-form-cookies-consent\"><input id=\"wp-comment-cookies-consent\" name=\"wp-comment-cookies-consent\" type=\"checkbox\" value=\"yes\" \/> <label for=\"wp-comment-cookies-consent\">Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.<\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"comment-subscription-form\"><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"subscribe_comments\" id=\"subscribe_comments\" value=\"subscribe\" style=\"width: auto; -moz-appearance: checkbox; -webkit-appearance: checkbox;\" \/> <label class=\"subscribe-label\" id=\"subscribe-label\" for=\"subscribe_comments\">Notify me of follow-up comments by email.<\/label><\/p><p class=\"comment-subscription-form\"><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"subscribe_blog\" id=\"subscribe_blog\" value=\"subscribe\" style=\"width: auto; -moz-appearance: checkbox; -webkit-appearance: checkbox;\" \/> <label class=\"subscribe-label\" id=\"subscribe-blog-label\" for=\"subscribe_blog\">Notify me of new posts by email.<\/label><\/p><p class=\"form-submit\"><input name=\"submit\" type=\"submit\" id=\"submit\" class=\"submit\" value=\"Post Comment\" \/> <input type='hidden' name='comment_post_ID' value='930' id='comment_post_ID' \/>\n<input type='hidden' name='comment_parent' id='comment_parent' value='0' \/>\n<\/p><p style=\"display: none;\"><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"akismet_comment_nonce\" name=\"akismet_comment_nonce\" value=\"685c5de1dc\" \/><\/p><p style=\"display: none !important;\" class=\"akismet-fields-container\" data-prefix=\"ak_\"><label>&#916;<textarea name=\"ak_hp_textarea\" cols=\"45\" rows=\"8\" maxlength=\"100\"><\/textarea><\/label><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"ak_js_1\" name=\"ak_js\" value=\"31\"\/><script>\ndocument.getElementById( \"ak_js_1\" ).setAttribute( \"value\", ( new Date() ).getTime() );\n<\/script>\n<\/p><\/form>\t<\/div><!-- #respond -->\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As recently reported by Granthaven, Councillor Jim Pickard will not be seeking re-election after 15 years of service, and Mayor David Mayberry has also announced he will be stepping aside. Their departures open key leadership roles at the SWOX council table \u2014 roles that will help shape decisions affecting our roads, services, budgets, and growth&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-watch"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Get-Involved.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":932,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930\/revisions\/932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stand4oxford.ca\/landing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}