Walter Sendzik

Walter Sendzik (born February 28, 1972) is a Canadian politician. He is currently the mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario. As mayor, he also sits on Niagara Regional Council.

Walter Sendzik
Mayor of St. Catharines, Ontario
Assumed office
December 1, 2014
Preceded byBrian McMullan
Personal details
Born (1972-02-28) February 28, 1972[1][2]
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada[3]
Spouse(s)Melanie Sendzik[4]
Children2[2]
OccupationPublisher

Prior to being elected, Sendzik was the general manager of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.[5] He had been with the Chamber of Commerce for seven years. Prior to this, he founded Vines Publishing, a publishing company specializing in wine and travel, including Vines magazine.[6] He sold the company in 2005[3] He also served as president of the Niagara Wine Festival,[7] and has authored several books. He holds a B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University and a master's degree from McGill University.[3]

Sendzik was first elected as mayor in 2014 on a platform of youth retention, employment diversification, and attracting well paying jobs.[2] The position was an open one with the previous mayor, Brian McMullan retiring.[8] Sendzik defeated future NDP MPP Jeff Burch, winning 40% of the vote to Burch's 35%. In his first term as mayor, the city prepared for the construction of a 19-storey condominium building, the first of its kind in the city, part of the city's transition into both a bedroom community and the "urban centre" of the Niagara Region.[9]

He was re-elected in 2018 running on a record of economic development, "keeping taxes low" and investing in infrastructure.[10] He was easily re-elected, winning 72% of the vote.

Since being re-elected, one issue Sendzik has had to deal with is layoffs at General Motors, one of the largest private sector employers in the city.[11] Also during his second term, St. Catharines experienced a housing boom thanks to GO Train connections the Greater Toronto Area.[12]

References
  1. @WSendzik (28 Feb 2018). "#HappyBirthday to me ! Time to put on the party hat!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. "Walter Sendzik says city's future is in jobs". Niagara Falls Review. October 9, 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. City biography
  4. "Sendzik has an app for mayoral campaign". St. Catharines Standard. August 11, 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. "Sendzik has an app for mayoral campaign". St. Catharines Standard. August 11, 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  6. "Cool cover". Edmonton Journal. April 28, 2000. p. A2. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. "Fun and excitement for the whole family". National Post. September 5, 2003. p. 103. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  8. "Mayor Brian McMullan not running again". St. Catharines Standard. April 1, 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  9. "Looking up in the suburbs". Montreal Gazette. May 20, 2017. p. D2. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  10. "Meet the St. Catharines mayoral candidates". St. Catharines Standard. August 18, 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  11. "Anxiety builds for laidoff GM workers in Canada". National Post. September 28, 2019. p. FP7. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  12. "Go Train fuels Niagara housing boom". National Post. June 29, 2019. p. PH9. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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