By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News

The fifth mayoral candidate in the 2026 Municipal Election said his leadership skills suit him to be the next Mayor of Chatham-Kent.

Ryan Gow, a 33-year-old supply chain professional at ATS Healthcare in Chatham, believes the municipality has tremendous potential and requires practical leadership focused on economic growth, fiscal responsibility, infrastructure renewal and long-term planning.

“I have been getting that question a lot,” Gow said when asked why he doesn’t run for a council position in his first dive into politics. “I’ve always been in a leadership role in the private sector, and I figure that pushing my agenda would be better served by being the mayor rather than a councillor.”

Darrin Canniff also announced last week that he will seek a third term as mayor, after winning both the 2018 and 2022 elections.

Current councillors Lauren Anderson, of Wheatley, and Michael Bondy, of Chatham, have thrown their hats into the mayoral race.

The fourth contender is Nelson Burm, a farmer/businessman from Wallaceburg.

Gow believes Chatham-Kent has tremendous potential, another reason he is running for mayor.

“Our municipality has incredible people, strong businesses, and tremendous opportunities,” Gow said. “My focus will be on responsible financial management, economic growth, affordability and ensuring every community across Chatham-Kent has a strong voice at the table.”

Gow said his campaign will focus on economic growth and job creation, responsible financial management, infrastructure renewal and supporting strong and vibrant communities throughout Chatham-Kent.

Gow admitted that before he became a father, he didn’t pay much attention to municipal politics.

“But over time, I’ve gotten more involved in the community, and I’ve seen the challenges that we faced and found myself asking the same question, ‘How can we be better?’” he said. “I figured I’m not going to wait for somebody to wave the magic wand and fix it.”

“I have some ideas, let’s give this a try,” Gow said.

One area that Gow said he will work to improve is attracting businesses and companies to Chatham-Kent and eliminating the red tape.

“I want to push infrastructure growth across the whole municipality,” Gow said. “We’re not using the spaces we have effectively; we have a lot of empty lots across the municipality that aren’t serviced and ready to build.”

“There’s a lot of growth going on in Ontario, but we’re not in a position to take on these employers because we don’t have land that’s ready to build on,” said Gow. “I want to make these lots serviceable so people who want to come here can come in and build …and we can offer them incentives.”

The mayoral candidate understands he has work to do to get his name in the public eye, especially running against Canniff and councillors Anderson and Bondy, who are well known across the municipality.

“Everybody knows those three names. I represent a younger generation, so I’m going to have a more online presence,” said Gow, who has his own website and is putting his personal email out into the public. “A lot of people are feeling unheard. I put my personal email out there so people can contact me directly.”

“I’ve already been sharing ideas with quite a few constituents.”

Gow’s campaign website is www.ryangow.ca, where he will be releasing additional policy announcements and campaign information.

His email address is ryangow11@outlook.com