🔎 The race
Prince Edward County votes **Monday, October 26, 2026** for a mayor and ward councillors — 35 certified candidates across 13 municipal offices, on a list of 27,560 eligible voters, with school board trustees on the same ballot. Nominations closed August 21 and Clerk/Chief Returning Officer Catalina Blumenberg certified the list on August 24 (County announcement, AMO 2026 roster). The top job is open: mayor Steve Ferguson, first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, announced on April 8, 2026 that he will not seek a third term, noting his term runs "until the conclusion of Nov. 14" (countylive).
The mayor's race is a **three-person contest among political insiders**. **Terry Shortt**, a Sophiasburgh businessman and four-term councillor, was the 2022 runner-up, taking 3,199 votes (28.7%) to Ferguson's 4,634 in an election that drew 11,262 voters from 23,935 eligible (47.05%) (AMO 2022 results). **Brad Nieman** is the sitting Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell) councillor, elected with 1,186 votes in 2022, running for a different office (AMO 2022 results, Quinteist). **Ernest (Ernie) Margetson** is a water resources engineer and Ward 7 (Hillier) councillor from 2019 to 2022 (Quinteist). All three have held council seats, and all three use municipal-government careers — water and wastewater (Nieman), consulting engineering (Margetson), electrical contracting (Shortt) — as their credential for a job dominated by infrastructure money.
Council's battleground is **Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell)**, where eight candidates — all new to council — chase two open seats: incumbent Brad Nieman is running for mayor and fellow incumbent Phil Prinzen is not on the ballot (countylive, Quinteist running list). **Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh)** has six candidates for three seats, pitting incumbents Janice Maynard and Sam Grosso against three former councillors and a newcomer; **Ward 1 (Picton)** features a near-rematch, with Jane Lesslie — beaten by six votes (808 to Kate MacNaughton's 814) in 2022 — again facing the two incumbents (countylive, AMO 2022 results). Wards 5 (Athol) and 8 (North Marysburgh) are open seats contested entirely by first-time candidates, and Ward 6 incumbent Bill Roberts faces three challengers. Corey Engelsdorfer (Ward 3, Wellington), Chris Braney (Ward 7, Hillier) and John Hirsch (Ward 9, South Marysburgh) are acclaimed with no opponents (Quinteist); six of the 13 offices on the certified list, including some school-trustee seats, have a single candidate (AMO 2026 roster). The new council arrives with set pay: the mayor at $96,550 and councillors at $40,422 (countylive).
Every ballot also carries **a question on council's own size**: "Are you in favour of a third-party review of Council size and related ward boundaries?" It binds the municipality only if at least 50 per cent of eligible electors vote on it and more than 50 per cent of those voting say yes; a yes triggers a third-party review estimated at $75,000–$100,000 (effective for 2031), and a no freezes any review for four years (County statutory notice). Margetson openly favours fewer councillors and possible at-large seats (Quinteist); Nieman ties the question to turnout, noting it dies without a 50-per-cent vote (Quinteist).
The campaign has been tightly managed by the County's standards. At the **Wellington mayoral forum on Tuesday, October 6**, hosts dropped the open-mic segment "in light of some of the contentious and somewhat inappropriate comments and questions that have occurred at previous meetings of this kind," and the candidates answered four written questions — strong-mayor powers, water financing, affordable housing, and climate/emergency response (countylive). The unanimous moment: all three pledged not to use **strong-mayor veto powers** — Shortt said they "take a democratic society and turn it into a dictatorship" and Nieman said they "take away the democratic process" (countylive). Debt and water infrastructure are the connective tissue of the race, from mayoral platforms to doorstep conversations (Quinteist running list, Paul Boyd, Ward 4).
⚡ Key issues
Water and wastewater: the $288-million question
Central water and wastewater servicing is the race's defining money issue. The debate's framing question recalled council's recent vote **against** the Shire Hall "scenario 2B" plan, "a $288 million price tag" carrying "a potential $55,000 burden per water subscriber" (countylive). **Nieman** — 20 years in County water/wastewater — says developer up-front financing is essential because the waterworks alone would push debt to 17.5 per cent of own-sourced revenue against a 15-per-cent county policy (the provincial takeover threshold is 25 per cent); he wants the $20-million provincial allocation spent on the wastewater plant first and calls a $255-million water plant for housing 30–40 years out a waste (countylive). **Margetson** framed it arithmetically: "think about those numbers: $3.3 million and $10 million versus $250 million" — Wellington plant rehab plus Picton optimization instead of a mega-build — to keep rates "manageable" (countylive). **Shortt** rejects "taking 5,200 connected users and putting them $240 million in debt," proposing a two-plant approach: keep Wellington's plant, extend Picton's intake and upgrade that plant, with more study on water quality (countylive).
Growth, debt, and who the County is growing for
Every candidate calls the County's debt trajectory unsustainable, but they split on growth. **Shortt** pledges a moratorium on large-scale development, arguing approved capacity "would see the County triple in size when predictions say growth of only 29,632 by 2033 is expected" — "How they expect to fill these units is beyond me, it is a Toronto dream thrust upon the County" — and he raised provincial amalgamation as a live threat: "The threat of regionalization with Belleville and Trenton has reared its head, if that happens it will be bad for everyone" (countylive). **Nieman** answers with phasing, not freezing — "Instead of allotting 500 units for water/wastewater to one developer," spread servicing across several developers, and broaden a tax base that is "probably 90 per cent dependent on residential taxes" (Quinteist). In Ward 4, **Paul Boyd** says "Amalgamation was not good for our County, as we are now $100 million in debt" and "The debt is the most pressing issue" (Quinteist Five Questions).
Shrink the council? The ballot question on size and boundaries
Council put a binding-in-spirit plebiscite to voters: "Are you in favour of a third-party review of Council size and related ward boundaries?" Only a double 50-per-cent threshold — half of eligible electors voting, and a majority of them in favour — compels the review, estimated at $75,000–$100,000 with any changes landing in the 2031 election; a failed question bars another for four years (County statutory notice, countylive). **Margetson** is the only mayoral candidate on record wanting it passed, arguing fewer councillors (possibly some at-large) would make debate and decisions more efficient while respecting geography and representation by population (Quinteist). **Nieman** links the question's fate to getting out the vote generally (Quinteist). Watch whether a mayoral winner can claim a mandate either way on how big the next council should be.
Homes for locals: affordability, second homes and short-term rentals
Housing for year-round residents — against the County's second-home and tourism economy — cuts across every race. **Nieman** set a hard line: "We cannot sit at back and let developers dictate the rules. From now on, all housing development must include at least five per cent affordable units," and judged the Affordable Housing Corporation by shovels in the ground: "Until we get something in the ground, we are not doing a great job" (countylive). **Shortt** would "Maintain a moratorium on Airbnbs" and force operators he says function "under the radar" into licensing — "Either brought on board as an actual Airbnb under the municipality, or stopped completely" — while ending the arm's-length Affordable Housing Corporation in favour of a county land bank with modular and tiny homes (Quinteist, countylive). **Margetson** counters "Municipalities should never be a landlord" and pushes existing projects (the Queen Elizabeth School site, the former Wellington arena) instead (countylive). Ward 2 candidate **Joanne Fralick** frames it as affordability for ordinary residents (Quinteist Five Questions).
Wind turbine rules under the County's new zoning by-law
Wind energy is Prince Edward County's deepest political scar — the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County fought the White Pines wind farm through a five-year court battle that ended only when the province cancelled its contract in 2018 — and it now lives in the rules the next council will administer. At a 2024 open house on the county's draft comprehensive zoning by-law, APPEC's Liz Driver warned the draft kept turbine provisions dating to 2006, allowing setbacks of "just 46 metres to 183 metres from the nearest dwelling" against the 550-metre minimum in Ontario's Environmental Protection Act, and pushed for turbine-specific rules as the province signals renewed renewable energy development (Picton Gazette). The resulting Comprehensive Zoning By-law 140-2025 is posted as issued for county council adoption (County zoning PDF). Caveat: none of the three mayoral candidates' wind-turbine positions appear in the coverage reviewed for this analysis — see notes.
- The task brief framed the race as picking Robert Williams' successor; coverage does not support that — the seat is open because incumbent mayor Steve Ferguson (mayor since 2018) announced on April 8, 2026 he will not seek a third term (countylive).
- No forum exists at pe-county.ca — that domain does not resolve from this environment; the County's official election pages live on thecounty.ca (Information for Voters) and the AMO 2026 roster. No County-hosted all-candidates meeting was found.
- No video or audio recording of the October 6 Wellington mayoral debate was found; the countylive write-up is the fullest available record (countylive).
- Wind-turbine setback positions from the three mayoral candidates are not documented in sources reviewed; the wind key issue rests on 2024 Picton Gazette reporting and the county's zoning by-law documents, and APPEC/candidate positions for 2026 remain a gap.
- Regionalization with Belleville and Quinte West/Trenton appears in reviewed coverage only as Terry Shortt's debate warning; no official 2026 provincial process was verified here.
- Ward 4 candidate Dianne O'Brien resembles 'Diane O'Brien', who placed third in the 2022 mayoral race with 3,122 votes (AMO 2022 results); identity between the two was not confirmed and no profile claim depends on it.
- No published 2026 poll for this race was found; nothing here ranks candidate support.
- Council candidates without published Q&As (Ahern, Heinricks, Rutgers, Lind, Niles, Woods, Langmuir, Chapman, Morton, Harrison) get roster-only one-line profiles sourced to the certified-list coverage; their platforms are unrecorded here.
- countylive readers alleged a Quinte Home Builders Association 'Building Communities Session' with invited candidates at the Picton Library in early October 2026 that excluded the public — a comments-section claim, not article reporting, and unverified.
- quinteist.com intermittently refused direct fetching from this environment; its pages were read in a browser session, and all cited quinteist URLs passed the HTTP-200 HEAD check.
- A third-party voter tool, pecvotes.ca, republishes county council voting records alongside election logistics; it was not used as a factual source here.
| Brad Nieman Serving council — different office Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Bloomfield Hallowell | 🔎 Bloomfield/Hallowell councillor running for mayor after 33 years in municipal government: two decades in County water and wastewater starting at the Town of Picton utilities in 1994, roughly a decade more as a water/wastewater supervisor at Loyalist Township, retired two years ago (Quinteist). Running on accountability and money: "Bottom line, it's time to make fiscal responsibility our core focus and get the County a better shot at a brighter future," and "From now on, all housing development must include at least five per cent affordable units" (countylive debate). Elected to Ward 2 with 1,186 votes in 2022 (AMO 2022 results). |
| Ernest (Ernie) Margetson | 🔎 Picton-born civil and water resources engineer who ran Margetson Engineering for 25 years and served as Ward 7 (Hillier) councillor from 2019 to 2022 (Quinteist). Campaigning on fiscal responsibility ("Decisions we make can have legacies for a number of years beyond even the term that you're in office"), official-plan-driven land use planning, climate action, and a smaller, more efficient council (Quinteist). Campaign site: margetsonformayor.ca. |
| Terry Shortt Ran 2022 · Mayor (28.7%) | 🔎 A Sophiasburgh lifelong resident whose family land dates to 1792, Shortt owned Terry Shortt Electrical Services for 33 years and served four terms on council — one on old Sophiasburgh Township council and three on the amalgamated County Council, including as long-time planning chair (Quinteist). He lost the 2022 mayor's race to Steve Ferguson but finished second with 3,199 votes (28.7%) (AMO 2022 results). He pledges a moratorium on large-scale development and on short-term rentals ("Maintain a moratorium on Airbnbs"), with "a look inside" at crumbling roads and debt: "It's time for some common sense. And that's what I intend to bring" (Quinteist, countylive debate). |
| Jane Lesslie Ran 2022 · Councillor, Ward Picton | 🔎 Missed the Ward 1 (Picton) seat by six votes in 2022 (808 to Kate MacNaughton's 814) and runs again for one of two seats (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Emery Niles | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 1 (Picton), counted among its newcomers alongside two incumbents and Jane Lesslie (countylive). |
| Kate MacNaughton Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Picton | 🔎 Ward 1 (Picton) incumbent, elected in 2022 with 814 votes; one of two incumbents seeking the ward's two seats (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Phil St-Jean Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Picton | 🔎 Ward 1 (Picton) incumbent who topped the ward's 2022 poll with 835 votes (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Erin (Erynn) Ahern | 🔎 One of eight candidates — all newcomers to council, per countylive — chasing Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell)'s two open seats (Quinteist running list). |
| Geoff Heinricks | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell), the county's largest field: eight candidates for two seats (countylive). |
| Joanne Fralick | 🔎 A 45-year journalist who reported on more than 500 council meetings across Hastings and Prince Edward counties, running on clearer bylaw interpretation, creative infrastructure funding and housing balance: she wants the County to stay "a place where ordinary people can afford to live, work and belong" (Quinteist Five Questions). |
| Kane Rutgers | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell)'s two open seats (countylive, Quinteist running list). |
| Kyle Mayne Ran 2022 · Mayor (1.8%) | 🔎 Ran for mayor in 2022, finishing fourth with 202 votes; now seeking one of Ward 2's two seats in an eight-candidate race (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Mark Henry | 🔎 First-time Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell) candidate; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Mark Hopper | 🔎 First-time Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell) candidate; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Victor Lind | 🔎 First-time candidate in Ward 2 (Bloomfield/Hallowell); maintains a campaign site linked from the Quinteist running list. |
| Corey Engelsdorfer Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Wellington | 🔎 Ward 3 (Wellington) incumbent, acclaimed with no opponent on the certified list (Quinteist); won the seat with 634 votes in 2022 (AMO 2022 results). |
| Andreas Bolik | 🔎 A former county councillor back in the race, one of three former councillors among Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh)'s six candidates for three seats (countylive). |
| Dianne O’Brien | 🔎 A former county councillor, listed among Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh)'s "previous councillors" (countylive); she is one of six candidates for three seats. Note: her name resembles "Diane O'Brien", who ran for mayor in 2022, but sources reviewed here do not confirm they are the same person. |
| Doug Villeneuve | 🔎 The only newcomer in Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh)'s six-person race for three seats; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Janice Maynard Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Ameliasburgh | 🔎 Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh) incumbent and the ward's 2022 top vote-getter with 1,143 votes, seeking one of three seats (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Paul Boyd Ran 2022 · Councillor, Ward Ameliasburgh | 🔎 A former pre-amalgamation reeve and county councillor whose 33-year corporate sales career at Ingersoll Rand ended as VP of sales for Canada; he ran in Ward 4 in 2022 and lost with 749 votes (countylive, AMO 2022 results). Running on debt: "The debt is the most pressing issue" and "I seem to be the only one talking about the debt" (Quinteist Five Questions). |
| Salvatore Sam Grosso Incumbent | 🔎 Ward 4 (Ameliasburgh) incumbent, elected in 2022 as "Sam Grosso" with 915 votes, seeking re-election (AMO 2022 results, countylive). |
| Anna Zak | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 5 (Athol)'s open single seat, one of four newcomers contesting it (countylive). |
| Emily Jane Pickstock | 🔎 First-time candidate for the open Ward 5 (Athol) seat; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Haley Woods | 🔎 One of four first-time candidates for Ward 5 (Athol)'s open seat (countylive). |
| Tyler Langmuir | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 5 (Athol), where none of the four contenders currently sits on council (countylive). |
| William Bill Roberts Incumbent | 🔎 Ward 6 (Sophiasburgh) incumbent, elected in 2022 with 777 votes, facing three challengers (AMO 2022 results, countylive); answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Leslie (Les) Chapman | 🔎 One of three candidates challenging Ward 6 (Sophiasburgh) incumbent Bill Roberts (countylive). |
| Megan Hutton | 🔎 Challenging Ward 6 (Sophiasburgh) incumbent Bill Roberts; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Rachel Prinzen | 🔎 Challenging Ward 6 (Sophiasburgh) incumbent Bill Roberts; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). No relation to former Ward 2 councillor Phil Prinzen is confirmed in sources reviewed. |
| Chris Braney Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward Hillier | 🔎 Ward 7 (Hillier) incumbent, acclaimed with no opponent on the certified list (Quinteist); won the seat with 488 votes in 2022 (AMO 2022 results). |
| Tracey Stevens | 🔎 First-time candidate for Ward 8 (North Marysburgh)'s open seat; answered the Quinteist's Five Questions (link). |
| Ken Morton | 🔎 One of three newcomers seeking Ward 8 (North Marysburgh)'s open seat (countylive). |
| Siobhan Harrison | 🔎 First-time candidate in Ward 8 (North Marysburgh), where the 2022 winning councillor did not return to the ballot (countylive, AMO 2022 results). |
| John Hirsch Incumbent Elected 2022 · Councillor, Ward South Marysburgh | 🔎 Ward 9 (South Marysburgh) incumbent, acclaimed with no opponent on the certified list (Quinteist); won the seat with 357 votes in 2022 (AMO 2022 results). |
🎙 Debates & forums
Yes — one in-person mayoral debate plus a countywide written Q&A. The Wellington Community Association and the Wellington on the Lake Residents' Association hosted a one-hour debate among Nieman, Margetson and Shortt on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at the Wellington and District Community Centre (in person plus about two dozen virtual attendees), with four pre-set questions: strong-mayor veto powers, financing the next water plan after the rejected $288-million Shire Hall scenario, affordable housing for young workers, and climate/emergency response. Organizers deliberately dropped the open-mic segment citing past "contentious and somewhat inappropriate" exchanges. All three candidates committed not to use strong-mayor powers (countylive). The Quinteist ran standardized "Five questions" written interviews with council candidates countywide, linked from its running list (Quinteist). No county-organized all-candidates meeting and no video recording of the Wellington debate was found.
🗞 On the radar — local coverage
- Five questions with Joanne Fralick, Ward 2 – Bloomfield/Hallowell candidate for Prince Edward County council in the 2026 municipal election
- Who’s running for mayor and council in Prince Edward County’s 2026 municipal election? Here’s what you need to know
- Five questions with Paul Boyd, Ward 4 – Ameliasburgh candidate for Prince Edward County council in the 2026 municipal election
- Unofficial list of candidates for 2026 Prince Edward County election