New Arnprior, Ont. mayor hosts open house

Arnprior's new mayor is taking a new open door policy approach into the New Year.

On Tuesday, Lisa McGee hosted the town's first mayor's open house in recent memory, inviting residents into her office at Arnprior town hall to discuss issues important to them and tour the building's old time jail cells.

"Heard from a lot of people that they wanted more access to members of council and the town. At times they found that the communication factor was lacking," McGee told CTV News.

Many residents took advantage of the opportunity, bringing an array of ideas and concerns directly to their new mayor.

"I've come here today so that I can meet Lisa in person," said Sonya Schirmacher, an Arnprior resident of eight years. "I wasn't able to meet the previous mayor."

"I wanted to talk to her about some new environmental projects," said resident Paula Simon. "Maybe a composting system or something that can take Arnprior into the future."

"Given the economy now, [I wanted to ensure] that our tax dollars are being spent appropriately, benefitting the bulk the community and not just a small subset," said community member Scott Catterill.

"The town is really growing as you can probably see," added Schirmacher. "There's a lot of construction going on, there's a lot of traffic now. This is a little town, it's growing into a big town and so I think changes are needed."

While the age of interaction moves online and over the phone, McGee says she still wants to cater to those who prefer to meet face-to-face.

"Everyone's got some great ideas, everyone's concerns are valid, and this is hopefully a first step towards some different engagement," said Arnprior's mayor.

Those who stopped by the open house also welcomed the access and transparency shown by the town’s new leader.

"I think having a direct line of communication between the public and our elected officials, not just Lisa but the whole council slate, I think that's very important," said Catterill. "Especially in a small town like this."

Those is small towns know word of mouth spreads quickly, and those who shared their words with McGee are hoping for quick results.

"I love Arnprior," said Simon, "I'd like to raise my kids here but there's always room for growth.