BOTTEN, Ray
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Ray Botten previously ran for Mayor of Owen Sound in 2018 and has been publicly involved in faith-based outreach and homelessness-related advocacy.
Phone: 519-377-8492
Email: botten4mayor@gmail.com
Platform: Ray Botten has stated priorities including separating Owen Sound from Grey County, using strong mayor powers, and creating a drop box intended to give drug traffickers a way to leave the drug trade.
Interview: Watch interview
Source: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page.
KING, Jodi
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Jodi King has described herself as a bouncer, giving her direct experience with front-line public safety, conflict management, and difficult interpersonal situations.
Phone: 226-568-6260
Email: kingjodi99@gmail.com
Platform: Jodi King has proposed using empty lots for transitional housing with crisis support, reserving 10-20% of future developments for low-income families, and ending closed-door political meetings in favour of more open governance.
Interview: Read the HelpOS interview summary with Jodi King.
Source: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page.
MERTON, Carol
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Carol Merton is a sitting Owen Sound councillor serving her second term. Her City biography describes her as a health care professional in private practice, with management and leadership experience across Grey Bruce and involvement in committees, boards, and community groups.
Phone: 519-477-8192
Email: cmerton@sympatico.ca
2026 platform: No dedicated public 2026 mayoral platform has been identified yet.
Previous positions: In her 2022 campaign, Merton emphasized effective use of tax dollars, a safe and inclusive city, Housing First and affordable housing for lower-income residents and seniors, and stronger municipal involvement in addressing homelessness. She supported active physician and health-care worker recruitment, including a regional recruitment working group and incentives. On economic development, she promoted aging-in-place services, arts and tourism, skills and trades development, and attracting green-energy industries. She also supported stronger short-term-rental regulation, including principal-residence requirements, licensing, a municipal accommodation tax, and enforcement.
Council record: During the 2022–2026 term, Council implemented short-term-rental licensing with a principal-residence requirement and operating limits, closely following the approach Merton advocated in 2022, while the City continued regional physician recruitment and provincial advocacy on access to primary care. Merton also continued arguing that the City has a role in homelessness and downtown safety, and in 2026 moved to restore the Police Service Board’s full requested budget increase. On public participation, she was one of two councillors who opposed the 2024 restrictions on public question period and again one of two who opposed the 2026 committee restructuring that removed public members from the committee overseeing budgets and internal operations.
Sources: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page; Bayshore Broadcasting 2022 candidate profile; City short-term-rental information; Owen Sound Current report on the 2026 Police Service Board budget; Owen Sound Current report on the 2024 public-question-period changes; and Owen Sound Current report on the 2026 committee restructuring.
SEILER, Mike
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Mike Seiler is a local entrepreneur and owner/Broker of Record of Century 21 In-Studio Realty. His public biography describes him as a devout Christian who emphasizes family, relationships, and community service; it also describes previous work as a distributor for Weston Bakeries. He has operated PZZLD Escape Rooms and Grey Bruce Media. More recently, he founded Map.ca, a community-mapping and social-enterprise initiative focused on community connections, education, entrepreneurship, local businesses, and services.
Phone: 519-375-6585
Email: mike@map.ca
Web: map.ca
Platform: No public mayoral platform statement is available at this time. The website supplied with his candidate registration is Map.ca, which currently presents itself as a community-mapping and social-enterprise initiative rather than a dedicated mayoral campaign website.
Sources: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page; Mike Seiler’s public biography; Owen Sound River District profile; Grey Bruce Media (including the candidate photograph); and Map.ca’s public company profile.
THOMAS, Richard
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Richard Thomas is a former Owen Sound councillor, local historian, communications professional, and 2022 mayoral candidate. Public candidate material also describes his service with the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library Board, the Hospital Foundation Board, local fundraising campaigns, and the Marine and Rail Museum.
Phone: 519-270-6513
2026 platform: No dedicated public 2026 campaign platform has been identified yet.
Previous positions: In his 2022 campaign for Deputy Mayor, Greig emphasized stronger financial oversight at both City and Grey County, resisting spending he considered unnecessary, reducing development-related fees where possible, and more closely scrutinizing development charges and water and wastewater rates. He proposed restructuring City Hall around two broad areas of oversight, budgetary and “growth and development.” He also emphasized getting approved housing built, renewed municipal involvement in physician recruitment, regulating short-term rentals to preserve housing stock, and leveraging Bruce Power-related economic opportunities.
Council record: During the 2022–2026 term, Council introduced short-term-rental licensing, and Greig specifically defended stronger restrictions as a response to the housing shortage, closely following his 2022 position. On affordability and spending, he attempted to reopen Council’s 40% garbage-tag increase for further consideration and at Grey County argued against a projected double-digit levy increase and expansion of committee membership on cost grounds. Owen Sound also undertook a service review expected to generate about $2 million in direct and indirect savings during the term, while the two-part City Hall structure Greig proposed in 2022 was never implemented; the City continues to operate separate Community Services and Corporate Services departments, with planning remaining under Community Services. Council approved municipal levy increases of 0.86% in 2023, 2.58% in 2024 and 2.57% in 2025, followed by a 4.72% overall property-tax increase in the adopted 2026 budget.
Sources: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page; Bayshore Broadcasting 2022 candidate profile; City short-term-rental licensing notice; Bayshore Broadcasting report on the garbage-tag increase; Collingwood News report on the Grey County levy; Collingwood News report on Grey County committee costs; City service review; City budget and finance records; and City 2026 budget notice.
ZVORYGIN, Andrii
Status: Registered candidate for Mayor of Owen Sound.
Relevant background: Andrii Zvorygin is a local farmer, IT professional, civic information publisher, Makerspace treasurer, and community advocate. His civic work has given him hands-on familiarity with Owen Sound Council, Grey County Council, municipal staff, local policy processes, and intergovernmental advocacy, including meetings and correspondence with provincial and federal representatives serving the region.
Phone: 226-256-1632
Email: andrii@zvorygin.ca
Web: mayorofowensound.ca
Campaign flyer: Read the Flyer
Platform: Transparency. Participation. Compassion. Andrii Zvorygin’s priorities include clear City finances and results; practical resident participation, local capacity, and Ward and Local Representation within Owen Sound’s at-large electoral system; and affordable housing and land access, responsive services, and stronger local resilience.
More information: Candidate profile; full platform; ward and local representation plan.
Interview: Interview with James O
Source: City of Owen Sound registered candidates page.
