Robert Ritz Elected Mayor of Stratford in Municipal Election
Robert Ritz unseated incumbent Martin Ritsma to become mayor of Stratford after winning 31.1% of the vote in the October 26 municipal election.
Robert Ritz, a local architect, was elected mayor of Stratford on October 26, 2026, defeating incumbent Martin Ritsma. Ritz secured the victory with 4,246 votes, representing 31.1% of the total. Jo-Dee Burbach finished in second place with 3,738 votes, while Ritsma placed third with 2,899 votes.
In the city council race, Cody Sebben secured re-election as the top candidate, receiving 6,335 votes. Returning council members include Lesley Biehn, Harj Nijjar, Brad Beatty, Larry McCabe, Geza Wordofa, and Bonnie Henderson. Sarah Merkel, Ian Morton, and Chris Giannakopoulos were elected as newcomers, while Taylor Briscoe was the only incumbent who failed to win re-election.
Other municipal results included the election of Michael Bannerman and Deepika Mishra as Avon Maitland District School Board trustees, and Heather Marcy to the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board. Voter turnout rose to 47.5% with 13,844 votes cast, an increase from the 43.9% turnout recorded in 2022.
