Redekop proud of his work as Fort Erie’s mayor

Fort Erie’s outgoing mayor, Wayne Redekop, has a lot of pride for the work he’s done over his time serving his hometown.

He first served as mayor from 1997 until 2006 before being re-elected in 2014. Running again for the 2026 municipal election, he had intended to continue that service to his community.

Yet, as the results began rolling in on Monday night, he could see that things weren’t going to work out the way he, his family and team had hoped.

“Throughout my career as mayor and whenever we’ve had elections, I’ve known that each election is an opportunity for the residents of the community to express what they want going forward,” Redekop said during an interview Thursday. “I accept that and didn’t have a problem with that.”

While he finds himself a bit surprised by the results, he believes in democracy and the people making the choice of which direction they want to go. He was unseated by challenger Tom Insinna by a difference of 1,404 votes.

Redekop said he’s pleased with the work he’s been able to do over his two stints as mayor alongside the six different councils he’s led. Although those councils have not looked quite the same, working with people is important to him.

“I never contemplated for a moment adopting strong mayor powers because I think a mayor needs to be able to develop consensus, needs to work with the councillors (and) needs to make sure that democracy, which is majority rule, prevails.”

With that mindset, he was able to accomplish a lot over the years.

The first thing he mentioned was building a community of lifetime residents and newcomers that protects the town’s natural heritage. Whether that is wetland, wildlife habitat or the shoreline, he feels this is key and hopes the strides forward in this area continue.

He’s also fought for local access to health care services as well as for bringing in new family physicians and practitioners with specialties.

“I had a long period of time where I was at odds with Niagara Health over the changes from a full-service hospital in 1997 to what we have now to what Niagara Health is projecting,” he said.

Other accomplishments include resisting dense development pressures from the province, acquiring waterfront property and making it public, ensuring there are parks and green space for residents to enjoy, building relationships with the Indigenous community and representing Fort Erie at all levels of government.

“I’m quite proud of the work I was able to do for the community. I always tried to make sure that the community was represented in a professional manner.”

Dealing with people and helping them with their problems, he said, has been among his favourite parts of being mayor.

Although he feels being mayor comes with greater responsibility, latitude and resources, he also felt it was similar to his career as a lawyer.

With a chuckle, he shared that dealing with people also accounts for challenges he faced as mayor because sometimes he could help people and other times he couldn’t.

He gave the example of provincial policies creating strain on municipalities and their residents. It could be a provincial policy preventing something from moving forward or a mandate without supporting funds that then results in the municipality or region footing the bill–these are the kinds of things that happen frequently and can be frustrating.

Despite how much pride he has for his work and his love for his community, Redekop said he doubts he’ll run for mayor again. While he would like to continue to be a positive influence on the community, he doesn’t think it’ll be in that capacity.

Someone asked him on election night when was the last time he didn’t have a job. His answer was 1977, before he started practising law. During the nearly 50 years since, he’s spent 17 of those years balancing being mayor and lawyer.

“I’m just looking forward to whatever comes next,” he said. “But, most importantly, spending time with my family.”

His plan is to do a lot more of that, and he said it’s something his late wife, Cathy, impressed upon him.

“Now I have that opportunity. It’s a decision made for me by others, and I’ll take advantage of that.”

Apart from family time, Redekop would like to take some months to rest and then explore his interests to see where life takes him.

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