Marcus Ryan grew up in rural Clarington Township and attended Queen’s University where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has been married to his wife Theresa for 25 years and they are raising two children, Charlie and Fiona, near Uniondale.
Marcus worked in the automotive industry for 10 years in a variety of Engineering positions. He got involved in politics through his community’s efforts to save A. J. Baker P. S. He has been a Zorra Council member since 2014, and this is his first term as Mayor and member of Oxford County Councillor.
You can follow Mayor Ryan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and his website.
Listen to “Episode 1.2 – Mayor Marcus Ryan – Zorra Township” on Spreaker.
Mayor Ryan Teasers 2:
With all of our conversations we begin with the following topic areas beginning with the guests personal story, then rising through geography and people level to better understand their community and how it fits into SW Ontario. Some of the questions include but are not exclusive too:
- Who are you? What is your day job (if not a full time politician)? How do you engage the community? Why did you run for council? What drives you?
- Who are your people? If you represent a ward what does that ward look like (urban, suburban, rural)? Who are your constituents – what do they do for a living, what are the issues you see in your inbox or talking to people week in and out.
- Describe your municipality as a whole. Paint a picture for someone who has not been to your town or community before or has only seen it as a sign on the side of a road. What is working, and what is not, what are you building towards?
- What is your region, what is in common/different between your community and your neighbourhood? Most municipalities are a part of some upper tier government, how does your community fit into that upper tier?
- Finally, how does your community and constituents fit into SW Ontario as a whole? Why should someone in Kitchener or London (as examples) care about your community? What should a Torontonian know about your community and why it is important?
Digging into specific issues:
- COVID Impacts on Zorra Township?
- What would be talking about if COVID didn’t happen?
- 4 Day work week for municipal staff
- Community Schools Alliance – Rural schools, community hubs
- Development from Brownfields.
- Where do you want Zorra Township to be in 10 or 20 years?
- Magic policy wand – change one thing, what do you change and why?
Deadly Roulette by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3625-deadly-roulette
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