A former candidate is running again in Chatham-Kent's (CK) upcoming election.
Sheila Moir-Martin is looking to be one of two Ward 6 councillors, representing people living in the northwest part of Chatham. She previously ran in 2022, finishing 12th out of 16 candidates looking to fill six Chatham seats.
Moir-Martin told CK News Today her reason for running again is simple: a desire to support people who are down on their luck.
"I want to help people and fight for what's right, supporting residential neighbourhoods," she explained.
Moir-Martin believes the next council has many issues to properly address. As an accountant, spending and taxes are top priorities, but she's also concerned about what she sees as a lack of transparency and accountability from the municipality. All that said, her main focus is helping people living on the street.
"What I see going on when I walk out my front door and walk downtown is heartbreaking. We're not helping these people, the [tiny] cabins aren't helping these people, the encampments aren't helping these people, we need real solutions," added Moir-Martin.
Anyone on local social media groups or tunes in to council meetings might be familiar with Moir-Martin, as she's been very vocal over the last three-plus years. It's this dedication that she believes proves she's running for the right reasons.
"I'm going to commit full-time to this job, even though it's part-time. For the last four years, I've been working so hard to understand the issues, learning about planning and zoning issues, social housing, and all these things," she said.
CK's election will be on October 26, 2026.
