Meet the candidates running for Kitchener city council

UPDATE: Mayors and regional chair results Here's who has been elected in Waterloo region.

Voters will head to the polls on Oct. 24 for the Ontario municipal election.

Kitchener voters will be able to select their choices for mayor, ward councillor, school board trustees, regional chair and regional councillors.

The Kitchener candidates are as follows:

You can find out what ward you're in here.

Five people are in the running to become the Mayor of Kitchener.

CTV News reached out to each of them to get a better idea of who they are, why they’re running, and what they think is the biggest issue facing the city.

All candidates were sent the same three questions.

Val Neekman

Who are you?

A technology entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience with a balanced set of skills. I know how to pivot, lead, listen, motivate the young folks, and most importantly how to be accountable to the people I am committed to and those people are the residents of Kitchener.

Why are you running?

When leadership overstays their welcome, when a group of people who need to challenge one another get comfortable overtime, and outvote any meaningful opposition, when that happens, the culture has become ingrained. We need to leave the old culture behind, and opt in for a change. I am that change.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?

1 - Affordable housing and homelessness, starting with local initiatives while reaching out to higher governments

2 - Attract best talent and best companies to town to fuel high performing economy which will benefit all

3 - Enforce two-term limit for all elected roles and promote a culture of change

Berry Vrbanovic (incumbent)

Who are you?

I’m Berry Vrbanovic and I’ve lived in Kitchener most of my life. Born in present day Croatia, I went to the former St. Jerome’s High School and Wilfrid Laurier University. I have had the privilege to serve as your Mayor since 2014 and as City Councillor before that.

Why are you running?

I love our city. I have dedicated my life to public service and I’m passionate about serving you as your Mayor, while together we build one of the best cities in Canada and in the world.

In the eight years since you chose me to serve as your Mayor, I’m proud of what we have accomplished together to build a better Kitchener including stronger neighbourhoods, becoming one of Canada’s fastest growing economies, and working towards building a more inclusive and equitable Kitchener for everyone.

Looking ahead, we can see many challenges facing Kitchener that will require demonstrated leadership, proven experience, endless energy and strong relationships with other orders of government and community partners. I am ready to work for you and face those challenges, together.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?

The biggest challenge facing Kitchener is ensuring that after more than two years of the pandemic and the current economic downturn, we both build back better, and differently.

As we look ahead, we can see many challenges facing our community - including continued management of the pandemic, financial pressures resulting from global events, increased demands in terms of service delivery and social need and the impacts of increased polarization that exists in our nation’s cities and communities. Dealing with these dynamic social challenges and complex economic issues impacting our cities will require proven leadership and a careful balance in managing the varying priorities of our community.

As Mayor, I will continue to build on my proven track record of collaboration and partnership with community partners and other orders of government. I will work with the new City Council to build our team of independently elected officials where we work towards consensus where possible on complex community-building issues, while continuing to ensure a principled, values-based approach when dealing with people-focused issues that require both care and compassion. This will require continued strong fiscal management, pursuing efficiencies where possible, and ensuring we continue to advance the community’s strategic objectives.

Manikantan Nair

Who are you?

Mr. Nair has been living in Canada for the past 21 years and is a long-time resident of Kitchener.

He was born in Delhi, India, but is a proud Keralite and calls India his Motherland and Canada his Homeland.

Mr. Nair currently works at the University of Guelph in the Network/Cyber Security field.

Manikantan Nair (Mani) has always been passionate about his community service, public policy debate, and social service. He is committed to bringing change in the Kitchener & Waterloo Region for the betterment of the people and society.

Why are you running?

In 2018, Mr. Nair and his friends started Namaste Debate to promote good candidates to run for public office and to help educate the public and voters about issues facing Waterloo Region. Mr. Nair has been active on social media and continues to discuss and engage on matters of public interest with local elected representatives and people in person as well..

But he soon realized that to bring real change, one needs to be in a position of power. Last few years, Kitchener City has become the epicenter of many challenging issues in the Waterloo Region. Only a true leader can deal with resolving these issues head-on. So Mr. Nair decided to run for Mayor of Kitchener. Mani is open-minded and a good listener. He is compassionate and empathic. Manikantan Nair (Mani) has set his goals high and will introduce new initiatives to improve people's quality of life in Kitchener.

What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the City of Kitchener and how do you plan to address it?

Please visit my website for a comprehensive list of challenges, priorities, and solutions: https://www.votefornair.ca/mattersathand

Rehman-Ullah Khan

Rehman-Ullah Khan has not responded to CTV's candidate survey.

Milos Sokollu Posavljak

Milos Sokollu Posavljak has not responded to CTV's candidate survey.