Three candidates, all current members of Brantford City Council, will be vying to become the next Mayor of Brantford when Election Night rolls around on Monday, October 26, 2026.
Ward 4 Councillor Richard Carpenter, who officially entered the race on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, now joins Ward 5 Councillor Mandy Samwell and Ward 3 Councillor Dan McCreary in the race to become the next mayor for the municipality.
A life-long Brantford resident, Carpenter first got involved with public service in 1990 with the Brantford Public Utility Commission. He was later elected as the Ward 4 Councillor alongside Andy Woodburn in 1994, and has held the seat ever since.
With the next municipal election scheduled for October 26, 2026, the long-time councillor said change is coming and that he believes the City needs an experienced leader.
“I’ve been a councillor for a lot of years and I believe we’re going to have a large turnover of Council this year,” said Carpenter. “There’s going to be a lot of new people on Council, which is great, and I think we need to have a strong sense of leadership for the next four years while we’re bringing in these new councillors.”
He went on to say that throughout the years he’s earned the trust of residents because he shows up and listens to them, that his record “reflects strong, consistent leadership grounded in transparency, accountability and practical decision-making.”
When asked what a few of his priorities would be as Mayor, Carpenter said his first would be the new hospital, followed by building relationships.
“Priority one is the hospital. We need a new hospital and we needed it yesterday. The other is relationships building. Our current relationship with the County of Brant and Six Nations is not what it should be or could be,” he said. “The County of Brant is a large community and Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest First Nation reserve in Canada by population. If the three of us work together, I believe there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish as far as building a community that is safe, open and transparent for all of us. I want to prove that we can all work together, and that starts with respecting our neighbouring municipalities and Six Nations.”
Carpenter added that he’s also committed to working with the province for housing that is affordable, as well as establishing an addiction treatment centre with housing and wraparound support.
“We do have addiction treatment services here in Brantford, but I don’t think we’ll improve anything without housing and wraparound support,” he said. “Those things have to be done together, otherwise we’re throwing money at something that just won’t work.”
Carpenter also said he would like to prioritize public consultation and see more transparency between the City and the public.
“We have these policies and procedures saying that we want to listen and engage with the public, but we don’t; we haven’t been following through. I think it’s important that we listen to the public and have regular town hall meetings to find out what the public’s concerns and issues are,” he said. “We also have too many in-camera meetings. It’s one thing to go in-camera because the City is looking to buy a property, but once the requirement to be in-camera no longer exists, then that information should be released. It’s important for the public to know there’s honesty, openness and transparency and that’s very important to me.”
Carpenter continued, “I’m not going to make a handful of promises to give everyone the moon because I’m a realist, but I think this city needs someone that will listen to them, believe in them and care for them.”
McCreary and Samwell, who both submitted their nominations on Friday, May 1, 2026, issued statements on social media soon after filing.
Samwell said Brantford is going through an important change.
“Our city is growing and changing, and we have an opportunity to shape that growth in a way that keeps our neighbourhoods strong, supports local businesses, and ensures people feel safe and able to afford to live here. Over this past term on City Council and as Chair of the Police Services Board, I’ve worked hard to listen, show up, and stay connected to what residents are experiencing every day,” she wrote. “Before being elected, I spent more than a decade working in public health and alongside the community to bring people together and navigate challenges. It was through these experiences that I learned how important community engagement is in decision making. Including community voices and representing their hopes, ideas, and concerns was a key part of my approach as Ward 5 councillor and will be a focus of mine as mayor.”
McCreary also posted to social media saying that he will continue to “demonstrate the strong and sensible leadership that I always have as a member of Brantford City Council.”
“What’s that mean? It means the strength to make those tough decisions. It means finding a sensible path for the next four years to grow our economy and to help the folks in Brantford that are most in need,” he said. “It means the leadership to bond and to lead a cohesive team of City staff, councillors, community leaders and volunteers, so we can seize the opportunities ahead. I can tell you, there’s a lot of opportunity ahead for the City of Brantford and I plan to champion transparency at City Hall. I believe you need to fully understand and know how, and why, key decisions are being made, and you also need to have that input as citizens that’s so vital to helping us determine the road ahead.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
