Five questions with Maury Flunder, Ward 1 candidate for Belleville council in the 2026 municipal election

Editor’s note: To help voters to be better informed, Quinteist will be asking the same five questions of all council candidates in Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County in advance of the municipal election, which will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Questions were sent to all candidates on Sept. 10, 2026. We will publish their responses as we receive them. Below are the responses from Belleville Ward 1 candidate Maury Flunder. You can view a roundup of all our Belleville municipal coverage and links to all completed profiles here.

1. Tell us a little bit about your professional background, including any prior municipal or other political participation, as well as about you, personally. What made you want to run for council?

I was born and raised in Belleville, son of Mary and Gene Flunder, and have a daughter (15). I have been living and working in the downtown for the last five years, serving recently as chair of the Downtown BIA. I am a CPA, and have been working as financial controller and finance professional with small, medium and large companies in Eastern Ontario over the last 25 years. I am currently working at Ekort Property Management and Ekort Realty.

I have witnessed the changes in our city over time, and working as a property manager I am consistently engaged with issues around the homeless population and other challenges similar to those the city faces in property maintenance and development. I am dealing with the issues facing the city everyday, and want to be part of the improvements and solutions.

As a CPA, I want to bring a fresh set of eyes on the City budget. I have consistently heard concerns about the high levels of municipal taxes and water rates relative to other cities, and know that these contribute to the affordability challenges for many in our community. I am ready to review root causes of tax increases across the city, including fire and police budgets, and to challenge all areas of spending through the budget cycle to avoid further tax increases.

I have been actively and productively involved with local boards in our city, including the Downtown BIA, the Economic Development Committee, Quinte Arts Council and Quinte Film Alternative. I want the chance to support cultural and service groups and contribute toward a more exciting Belleville in the future.

2. How would you describe your personal political ideology and/or affiliation?

I am not a member of any political party, have always been fiscally conservative and am interested in doing the best for the future of our planet. My interests align with those who believe we need to cherish and develop greenspace and grow our city in a pragmatic and responsible way for the future.

3. What are the three most common issues voters bring up to you as you campaign?

Homelessness issues – A high percentage of voters are bringing this up as a top concern.

Property taxes – many are citing very high taxes relative to past levels and other cities.

Small things – bylaw enforcement/road repair/parking ticketing.

4. What three issues are most pressing/important to address locally in your opinion?

The homelessness issues are not going away, and I believe need to be addressed as a priority for the next council. While most people I have talked to do not expect a complete solution to be delivered by our City, I agree with them that more can be done by taking a leadership role toward improvements in 1) the supply of subsidized housing and shelter beds/spaces where homeless can store their belongings 2) responsibly managing encampments and establishing no-go zones 3) bringing the best solutions and tactics from around the province into consideration and 4) working with governments for funding options to minimize the burden on municipal finances.

Property taxes in Belleville are higher than many other similar municipalities and represent a significant burden on monthly finances of households. I believe further increases to property taxes need to be minimized. The City should be committed to managing costs and flattening expenses in coming years. This will involve some review of police and fire budgets and all areas of operations to establish priorities and make important decisions. Progress on homelessness issues should be viewed as a way to help lower the burden on all City-funded areas.

The “small things” sometimes are actually the big things in peoples’ lives and businesses in our city. Many people I speak to are very upset by things such as aggressive ticketing, indifference to public intoxication/loitering, lack of electric bike/scooter by-laws and enforcement, road repair issues, development delays due to City processes, etc. Too often the small things get put aside for “bigger” priorities and concerns by staff and council. I think it is a key responsibility of the City to responding to legitimate complaints effectively and promptly, and this needs to be more of a priority for the City and council going forward. I would like to see improvement in public of satisfaction with City Hall staff and council.

5. What do you feel sets you apart from other candidates?

I am CPA and an experienced financial manager, able to review and analyze City financial challenges. I am also an experienced property manager and property developer familiar with pragmatic solutions often needed to get things done effectively.

I have grown up in Belleville and have lived in other parts of the province as well. I have perspective of being familiar with the things that have made Belleville great and that there are opportunities to make it better, especially as we continue to grow.

I want to bring a fresh perspective and transparent voice to our council as we face the challenges in our city as it continues to grow and improve. As a councillor I am prepared to let my opinions be known, improve engagement with the public and say “no” to developments when I hear well-founded, compelling input from our community ( e.g. no to Bell Creek watershed development, more greenspace for West Hill at Queen Mary).