Advertise on podcast: Old Grey Mayors

With the housing crisis continuing to dominate the local political discourse, Rob is joined by former City of Waterloo Councillor Jeff Henry to talk about his time on council, changes to rental housing regulations and licensing, and how suburbs can be revitalized through great urban planning.

Rob sits down with Scott McMillan to talk about his time as a Waterloo Region District School Board trustee and Woolwich Township councillor.

Former City of Kitchener councillor Geoff Lorentz joins Rob on the podcast. Geoff shares his thoughts on the key decisions that helped transform the downtown core, the challenges of working with teams across city and regional government, and the work to bring the Huron Natural Area to the community.

John Gazzola has seen Kitchener and Waterloo Region grow over his 20 years as councillor for Ward 3 in the City of Kitchener. John joins Rob on the podcast to talk about watching the community evolve over his career, the creation of the Region of Waterloo, and how the city came to own its gas utility.

Tenille Bonoguore's career and life has taken her from Austalia to Canada and back to Austalia again. She joins Rob on the podcast to talk about her transition from journalist to city councillor, bringing Open Streets and the Grand Porch Party to the community, and her work on the city's Vision Zero plan.

Former Waterloo city councillor Angela Vieth joins Rob on the podcast to hear what inspired her to run for office, what is was like to win, and her advocacy for removing fluoride from the city's drinking water in 2010.

Welcome to another episode of Old Grey Mayors with your host Rob Deutschmann. In this episode, we have a very special guest, Cheryl Gordijk, who will be sharing her inspiring story of love, adventure, and public service. Cheryl takes us on a captivating journey as she recounts how she met her husband when he visited Canada, and how their love story led her across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. Cheryl's journey took her back to Canada, where she found her passion for serving her community. She delves into her decision to run for council in Wilmot Township and the obstacles she overcame during her campaign and time in office. Throughout the episode, Cheryl reflects on her accomplishments during her time on council and the initiatives she is most proud of. She shares anecdotes and lessons learned, providing valuable insights into the world of local governance and the importance of community involvement. Join us as Cheryl Gordijk shares her remarkable story of love, adventure, and public service, and inspires us with her determination, resilience, and dedication to making a difference in her community. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

On this episode of Old Grey Mayors, Rob welcomes community volunteer extraordinaire Angie Hallman. From spray pads to Canada Day celebrations, Angie can be relied upon to help out her community in many ways. Rob first met Angie when they were on the CityNews Kitchener Friday Four segment. In 2018, Angie decided to take the plunge and ran to become a councillor for Wimot Township. She was one of the triumvirate of women who balanced out the previous male-dominated council. Along with her two fellow councillors, the three were the first women elected in over 40 years to Wilmot Council. She served for one term and lost in her reelection bid in 2022. Angie joins Rob to share with us her experiences as a community volunteer and councillor.

In this episode, Rob is joined by former Kitchener city councillor Zyg Janecki. Zyg worked in planning for the City of Kitchener for 30 years before moving to private practice. In 2006, he offered his experience skills and expertise to the citizens of Kitchener, but narrowly lost that election. In 2010, he ran again and was successful and was elected a councillor for Ward 8 in Kitchener. He was reelected in 2014, but lost his reelection bid in 2018. 

Jean Haalboom returns to the podcast for the third time to talk with Rob about her time in office, the importance of protecting geographical heritage, and more.

Our latest episode features Rob telling the tale of bringing a new supermarket to Ayr—from the challenges of selecting a site to dealing with developers and grocery chains with conflicting ideas on what the community needed.

How hard can it be to build a new park? Former Waterloo city councillor Melissa Durrell comes back to the podcast to share the stories and challenges of bringing a new park to the Mary Allen neighbourhood in Uptown Waterloo.