HALDIMAND—Despite recently moving to Simcoe, Andy Griffin says his heart remains in Haldimand.
“It’s where I grew up. It’s where I have my businesses. It’s where I have my family, my friends, and I want to see Haldimand progress in a positive way,” said Griffin, who owns Griffin Landscaping Management Solutions and Joe Dirt’s Garden and Stone Depot in Dunnville.
He cited support of Dunnville’s Christmas lights display, Santa parade, and Mudcat Festival as examples of his longstanding community involvement.
If elected mayor, Griffin hopes to use his experience in business to improve how the County operates.
“I see things that I feel could be done better, more efficiently, and I just hear from a lot of people there seems to be a disconnect with trying to do things with the County…. I’ve ran into that myself, and I want to bring change to that,” he said.
He fears Haldimand has become a “laughing stock” to outsiders because of how divisive issues, such as the Nanticoke MZO, have been handled publicly in recent years.
His top priority is creating a more unified council and County administration, while building a more co-operative relationship with other levels of government.
“I think really and truly we need to have everybody working collectively together for the betterment of the constituents,” he said.
He pointed to his landscaping company’s efforts to clean up overgrowth in Dunnville and Cayuga this year, envisioning councillors teaming up on similar community projects.
“Something like that can bring people together, open up the communication lines,” he said. “Simple, small things like that can definitely make the community feel more like home.”
On property taxes, Griffin pledged to look for “efficiencies in operations” to keep taxes low.
He wants to see more police presence without increasing the cost of the County’s OPP contract, such as with a greater ratio of foot patrol hours.
“I think we need to get back to things like that, simple things that may not cost more money, but show that presence for policing,” he said.
Accessibility is another priority.
“Not everybody drives a car. You know, some people are in wheelchairs, scooters, they don’t have a licence, and I think we’re definitely falling behind on accessibility, especially in the wintertime with how bylaw enforces things after snowfalls,” he said.
On strong mayor powers, Griffin said municipalities traditionally functioned without them, although he appreciates having greater ability to work directly with County staff on important issues.
He criticized Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley’s use of the powers to fire former CAO Cathy Case, however, stating, “We didn’t even get a reason on that, really.”
He added, “I think if there’s issues with certain staff that are in key positional roles, that it should be a council decision if they’re going to be let go.”
On the future possibility of AI data centre development, Griffin said he would need to study any such Haldimand proposals before taking a position.
“All I know is what I read online, and a lot of what you read online you have to take with a grain of salt. So, I wouldn’t say I’m for or against at this point.”
Following feedback from a concerned resident, The Press identified multiple social media posts Griffin shared in 2025 from Second Sons of Canada and the Dominion Society of Canada. Both groups have been classified by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network as part of a nationwide rise in white nationalism.
When asked about these posts, Griffin said, “I think everybody is allowed to have a point and allowed to express themselves.
That’s part of our charter. I wasn’t agreeing with anybody one way or the other, but I’m exposing and saying there’s a group here that has a problem with immigration policy. And I think that we do, too.”
He said building needed infrastructure first is critical to addressing immigration concerns, and noted his own family immigrated from Denmark after the Second World War.
“Everybody has the right to move here, but I think when you move here, don’t try to change the country, right? Try to conform with the country, bring your culture with it, and then, you know, that’s how we all mix together,” said Griffin.
Griffin shared another post on October 19, 2025 with an image of a small child and the words, “So you’re saying that tobacco products on race cars will make me want to smoke, but gay and drag queen storybooks won’t influence my life choices.” Griffin commented on the post, “Relevant point here.”
Griffin iterated that he believes such exposure can be influential on children, as he does not believe they are developmentally capable of comprehending the situation, and therefore exposure to drag queens is not appropriate for children under 16.
Come October, Griffin hopes constituents will support his vision for Haldimand County.
“The only difference between me and the people in the community is that I decided to put my name on the list. I’m a regular person, just like everybody else that has taken the decision to want to try to make the community better.”
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