Five questions with Ramsey Hart, candidate for Perth council in the 2026 municipal election

Editor’s note: To help voters to be better informed, Lanarkist will be asking the same five questions of all council candidates in Carleton Place, Smiths Falls, Perth and Mississippi Mills in advance of the municipal election, which will be held on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Questions were sent to all candidates on Sept. 4, 2026. We will publish their responses as we receive them. Below are the responses from candidate Ramsey Hart. View a full roundup of all our Perth municipal coverage 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 moved to Perth in 2014 to work with the Table Community Food Centre and spent 10 great years there as executive director. I’m so happy that The Table brought me to live in this amazing town! Prior to coming to Perth, most of my career was in the environmental field with a number of government and non-profit organizations in Ottawa, New Brunswick and southern Ontario. Earlier this year, I began a new position as the executive director of the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust.

Outside of work I’m an avid gardener and small-scale bee keeper. I also love being out in nature, whether birding on the local trails or doing extended backcountry canoe trips. I enjoy attending live music events and the Stewart Park Festival has an honoured place in our annual summer schedule. I live in the south end of town with my partner, a senior black lab and two cats.

My municipal experience includes sitting on two town committees. I was part of the initial Mayor’s Task Force on Climate Change and was one of the committee members that successfully advocated for the town to re-join the Partners for Climate Protection program, which opened up significant new funding opportunities for the town. More recently, I chaired the Last Duel Park Advisory Committee and helped bring diverse perspectives into the deliberations over the future of the park. I’m pleased that some of our ideas came to fruition, including increasing the number and diversity of trees in the park and the installation of the Indigenous Healing Circle. In addition to these official roles, I’ve advocated to the town council on a number of issues. The most recent issue I’ve been engaged on is the massive and problematic development on the Perth Golf Course.

I’m running for council because I would like to see a council that is more proactive on key issues such as the golf course development. I am also running to be part of a strong, effective leadership team for the community. I strongly believe in giving back to the community I live in and that my personal values of respect, empathy, integrity and commitment, as well as my personal skills and background can make a meaningful contribution to the town and its citizens in the next four years.

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

As a candidate for the NDP in the 2018 provincial election, my political leanings and affiliations have been publicly declared. That said, I’m excited about municipal politics because it doesn’t have a party system and we can review, discuss and decide on issues based on what we understand is best for the town and free from the limitations of party allegiances.

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

At this early point in the campaign, people are sharing with me that they want to live in a thriving and dynamic community and one that retains its small town feel and charm. People are clearly worried about the impact of the golf course development on the town and the environment. Some new development is needed for the community, however, the scale, the location and CAIVAN’s disregard for our planning guidelines and bylaws are troubling. Unfortunately, much of the control over development has been taken away from municipalities in Ontario. We can push back and use any leverage we have on specific developments while working with other municipalities to regain control over important planning decisions.

I’m hearing that people want the town to be welcoming, inclusive and to provide quality community services. A thriving community is about more than just maintaining our physical infrastructure of roads and sewers. We also need to care for our social and cultural infrastructure. Municipal governments, in partnership with community organizations, can plan an important role in supporting the development of a vibrant and inclusive community. Perth does a good job of this already and we need to build on our past successes.

Lastly, I’m hearing a lot of concern about the cost of living and challenges of making ends meet. The need for affordable housing is top of mind for many people in Perth. When I moved here in 2014 housing was still quite affordable, but it’s become so much more difficult for people trying to get into the market as home owners or to afford to rent. In addition to supporting more affordable housing development, the town can also support community members to become more aware of the opportunities to reduce their energy bills with home retrofits and the funding available to do so. This is a win-win-win for citizens, the environment and our local economy.

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

In addition to addressing the concerns above, three key issues the next council will have to address are: financial management and the balance of taxation and spending; retaining and attracting new businesses, and replacing our aging infrastructure with affordable and green options.

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

I don’t know the other candidates well, yet, but I’m pretty sure that my experience with community social services and environmental background are unique. I’ve also been very involved with a wide variety of community projects and initiatives, including the Perth Mens’ Shed, Tay Valley Ski Club, Lanark Neighbours for Truth and Reconciliation and the South Lanark Community Garden. As an experienced organizational leader I’ve had to create complex budgets – though admittedly not quite as complex as the town’s. I’ve also had to make hard choices in order to balance the books. I know about managing staff and also about the role of the council as a governance body vs. an operational one.

I’m sure each candidate has unique skills and experience to offer and I’m happy to see so many people take an interest in running. I hope the citizens of Perth will agree that I can bring a unique and important perspective to the council and make a meaningful contribution to us moving forward together.

I’d love to hear from more citizens about their hopes for the next term of council. I can be reached by email at vote4ramsey@gmail.com, on my campaign website: ramseyhart.ca, or on Facebook @vote4ramsey.