Jamie Hahn wants his mayor’s seat back.
Hahn told the Journal Argus that he's filing his papers to run in the Oct. 25 municipal election this week, and says that “I've got the experience, and I've got the communication skills and the accessibility” to lead St. Marys for another four years.
Hahn has already served 16 years as mayor; prior to this term, he served as mayor from 1991 to 2003, when he went into retirement. He was first elected to town council in 1978.
When asked by the Journal Argus why he’s choosing to run again, Hahn answered that “it’s not hard for somebody like me to get excited about St. Marys... it’s a great place to go to school, get married and have children -- I’d like to keep that up for future generations.”
This recent council is also part of the impetus for Hahn running again. “This council is one of the most outstanding councils I've served on in all my years,” Hahn said.
“We've collectively managed and judged municipal matters in the midst of the worse recession Canada has ever seen,” he said. 

He added, “We kept our election promise in respect to keeping Cadzow pool open and the Pyramid Centre well-managed, so expenses didn't get out of hand.”
Over the past few years, Hahn said that council has been responsible for a number of other projects, including new entrance signs, creating a noise and nuisance bylaw, passing a property standards act, and granting land for the new Little Falls Public School - to name a few.
He is also pleased to have been on the council that decided to install a salt-water pool at the Pyramid Centre, instituted the public coffee scrums in council chambers and focused on our veterans by naming Veterans' Circle at Milt Dunnell Field, improving the cenotaph and creating the Flags for the Fallen tribute at St. Marys Cemetery.
And while Hahn believes its too early to say what kind of issues council would tackle if he's re-elected, he does says that he's “committed to expending as much time and energy to the mayor's post as possible… municipal affairs are an important level of government.”
Hahn adds that he'll be using the same election slogan as four years ago this time around. “It's my town, it's your town - it's our town.”
Coun. Don Van Galen hopes to return to council chambers come Oct. 25. Van Galen told the Journal Argus that the past four years as council have been “quite pleasurable” and he's seeking re-election as a result. Since selling his Queen Street photo business, Van Galen says he has more time to serve council.
Van Galen, who ran for the mayor's chair in 2003, says this council “made an early decision to be respectful of differences but work together as a team,” and achieved some good things, from finishing the Pyramid Centre and running it on a budget to improving the sewage treatment plant - something which has already paid off, he believes, in the form of an extension of services agreement with Perth South.
And, while he regrets there have been some “personnel changes” during this council, Van Galen is pleased with the hiring of CAO Rob Brindley. “We put a lot more thought into that decision, and it's led to new ideas in economic development,” he says. 
Looking ahead, considering the province's debt and deficit, “strong fiscal management is going to be necessary in the future… we don't want to be going back to the taxpayer because the province decided to cut taxes,” he says.
He's also concerned about possible cuts to emergency room services at St. Marys Memorial Hospital. “The town's going to be in a less envious position for industry and residents if this does happen,” he believes.
All this being said, however, Van Galen says that, if elected, he's “looking forward to another term - if the group we have now all come back for another term, we'd be well served.”
The only other member of current council that has clearly stated if they are running is Marg Luna. If elected, it will be her four consecutive term on town council - something, she says, can only benefit the town.
“I'm energized and I still feel the commitment to the town,” she says. “There's a need for continuity on council.”
She adds that “each council has its unique personalities - this council has been a strong council, especially with Jamie, who's been a strong leader… it's important that the head of council be that hardworking and passionate.”
This passion, she says, paid off in the completion and current operation of the Pyramid Centre. 
Looking back, Luna says, “I wish we could have done better with (recruiting) industry - but we've been working hard on that, especially since CAO Rob Brindley came on board.”
On a related note, Luna adds, “I think the downtown is the biggest concern, both structurally and economically.” While the town was not successful in receiving infrastructure to improve the appearance of the core, Luna is still hoping that work can be done within budget over the coming years.