Five questions with Stephen Scott, Ward 2 – Thurlow 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 2 – Thurlow candidate Stephen Scott. 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?

Personally, my life has been shaped by hard work. My first job at 13 was delivering the Montreal Gazette newspaper in morning blizzards. Over 70 years, I’ve done what it takes to survive and thrive, from washing dishes at the Ritz and owning a Markham pizzeria in the mid ’90s, to working as a private investigator and a correctional officer, which I’ve retired from..

This year marks my 50th anniversary of continuous community volunteering, a journey that began coaching youth football back in 1976.

Professionally, I am a seasoned public safety administrator and labour leader. I served as a Cornwall Police Board Director, chair of Belleville Community Policing, and VP/acting president of OPSEU Local 369. Previously, I also ran for municipal council in Cornwall in 2022.

I am running for Belleville council because Ward 2 families pay their fair share of taxes, yet our neighbourhoods face an overtaxed infrastructure system, impassable woodchip parks, a total lack of local convenience shops and a severe lack of visible police presence to stop excessive subdivision speeding. I am offering the experienced, independent safety and budget leadership needed to deliver community equity to Thurlow on day one.

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

My political approach is entirely non-partisan and solution-oriented. I do not believe in rigid party lines. Instead, I believe in equality and taking the best ideas from all sides to utilize them for the benefit of Ward 2. My background in provincial labour negotiations and public safety budgets taught me that good ideas don’t belong to just one political party. I look at every issue through a practical, common-sense lens. My sole affiliation is to the families of Thurlow, ensuring that our tax dollars are managed responsibly to deliver the fair infrastructure and resources our community deserves.

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

The three most common issues, so far:

Subdivision traffic speeding: Families are deeply concerned by excessive commuter speeding and ignored stop signs right inside our local neighbourhoods, paired with the lack of visible police presence.

Missing local conveniences: Residents are frustrated by the total absence of small neighbourhood shops, forcing them to drive across the highway for basic, everyday items.

Impassable neighbourhood parks: Our playgrounds rely heavily on thick woodchips, acting as immediate physical barriers for seniors with walkers and parents with strollers. Plus, there are no covered areas to protect from heat or active weather.

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

In my opinion, there are several pressing challenges facing Ward 2, but the three most important, at this time are:

First, tax equity, public safety, and rural agricultural support: We must reallocate our municipal budget to secure a visible police presence to stop excessive subdivision speeding and address the transition to a full-time fire department to protect our expanding population. We must launch an Agricultural Innovation and Rural Advisory Committee to bring our farmers straight to the table, clearing outdated zoning red tape so that farmers can secure provincial grants to operate year-round.

Second, subdivision build accountability and smart parks: I will move to reform our development bylaws to legally mandate that builders/corporations fully install accessible neighbourhood parks before or during initial housing phases, rather than leaving community green spaces as an afterthought. We must replace traditional woodchips with seamless, rubber safety surfaces and off-grid solar smart benches.

Third, restore the grassroots democratic voice: We must reverse the trend of backroom decision making. I will move to establish four additional missing, citizen-led public boards: Our Seniors, Youth, Environmental and Cultural Exchange committees, ensuring real public expertise steers our city policies.

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

What sets my campaign apart is that I am not a career politician. I am just a regular guy and a proven community leader who deeply cares about our new community. My life has been shaped by honest, frontline labour and a proud 50-year legacy of helping the public.

When you look at my background, you see a lifetime spent protecting and mentoring: a former Police Board director, former chair of Community Policing, a retired correctional officer, a former foster parent and a youth football coach for 19 years. Today, as a proud retiree living right here in this community, my only motive for running is pure public service.

I bring the practical compliance, budgeting and negotiation experience needed to audit spending and cut through red tape. I am offering approachable, common-sense leadership to protect our public safety, support our local farmers and deliver real infrastructure equity to Ward 2 on day one.

THURLOW IS NOT JUST A WARD ON A MAP-IT’S OUR HOME. COMMUNITY FIRST.