Westport Councillor Marty Crapper is Running for Re-Election

Westport councillor Marty Crapper was first out of the gate when nominations opened for the municipal election May 1. He’s running for re-election as a councillor. He said he believes he can continue to make a positive contribution to the community.

Four years in, he said experience on council counts for a lot. Despite his previous experience as a health-sector CEO, he said municipal government is a unique type of business. It’s been a learning curve, but he said he knows a lot more about how municipal government works, and specifically the role of councillors, than he did when he started.

“The role of a councillor is not to try to have all of the answers but to build ideas through conversations with constituents and colleagues,” he said.

Crapper makes a point of soliciting views from people outside of those who regularly cross his path. “I take my views and the views of the people I've talked with to the table, but so do the others. And at the end of the day we're charged with analyzing those views and coming to sometimes difficult decisions.”

In fact, he points to the ability of council to tackle tough decisions collegially and respectfully as one of its key accomplishments.

One of the most significant things he’s learned is how “impressive” the staff at Town Hall are and the importance of the research and briefing notes they draft to support the council. “I think it would be useful for residents to know more about our staff — who they are and what they do,” he said.

As for issues that need the attention of a new council, he said that “storm water is amongst the most important issues for a community that’s on a lake and that is growing.” He said he will continue to bring an environmental lens to council meetings.

“Fortunately for us, that growth means that some of our storm water systems are brand new, which is counter to some views that growth creates more risk around storm water and effluent but it actually can improve the situation, because now you've got some new infrastructure that's going to be good for 50 years.”

He also said next term he wants to do more to work with and understand the interests and ideas of the business community, specifically tourism-related businesses.

“We’ve got strong relationships with our business partners and What's on Westport has really evolved over the last four years … so we need to make sure that's an official priority, and that we have a strategy for supporting the business groups that make a difference in Westport.”

He said he’s proud of the work he has done with the library. He suggests it’s a good example of how creative thinking comes into play when resources are limited in a small town. “Should we be partnering with another library? Perhaps even amalgamating with other library systems versus being standalone. We need good information to make good decisions.”

He likens that to discussions about single-tier versus upper-tier governance. “I think those are the challenging questions that we need to engage our community in, and that's what I'm excited about because there aren't easy answers to it, and we need to analyze the advantages and disadvantages to do what is best for our residents.”

His advice for anyone considering running is to meet with a sitting councillor to get a handle on what the job entails.

“Lots of people can do it. What do you bring to the table? How are you going to be open to learning?” He said ideally, “You want council to reflect gender and age diversity and different experiences in the community.”

He also said the job is what you choose to make it. “If you're interested in what makes a community tick, this is the job to have. It's one where you've got a commitment to a unique community; our size means that it's one for all and all for one.” Unlike larger jurisdictions, Westport does not have wards; each councillor and the mayor represent the entire village.

“We talked about the size of this community and the limits of it, but on the other hand it has this vitality, where people commit to things that matter. I think about the many volunteers and volunteer groups who make a difference, so supporting and learning from these groups is also something we should continue to do as a council,” he said.

At the time this article was written, Marty Crapper was the only candidate who had filed nomination papers. Check the 2026 Municipal Election page at https://villageofwestport.ca/living-here/2026-municipal-election/ for updates on candidates who are standing for election.

Councillor Marty Crapper is running for re-election. Photo Credit: Suesan Saville