Bob Mullin, Mayor of the Township of Stirling-Rawdon was officially sworn in today as the Warden of Hastings County for his second term, and will hold the office for the next two years.
QUOTES
“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve as Warden of Hastings County for my second term,” said Warden Mullin. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my fellow Hastings County Council members for their confidence in me.”
“Hastings County delivers essential services that are critical to our residents. This Council is dedicated to supporting our staff in the delivery of those services and to governing with respect, professionalism, fiscal responsibility, innovation and fairness,” stated Mullin.
“We do not know what the future has in store, but I am confident that with this Council, and with our staff, we will be able to accomplish great things for our communities and the people of Hastings County throughout the next two years,” Mullin concluded.
BACKGROUND
Warden Mullin was first elected to Stirling-Rawdon Township Council in 2010, was re-elected in 2014 as Deputy Mayor. He began his first term as Mayor in 2018 and was re-elected as Mayor in October. He has served as Warden of Hastings County since 2022.
In his personal work, Warden Mullin owned a cattle & cash crop farm in the New Liskeard area for nine years before working for United Co-operatives of Ontario where he had a number of moves in Northern Ontario, before being transferred to Eastern Ontario. He purchased the Home Hardware store in Stirling in 1995 in order to stay in one location while their children were attending school, and has built a thriving business. He and his wife Shirley have three children and three grandchildren.
SUMMARY OF 2025-2026 PRIORITIES
Hastings County Council, and staff are committed to advancing key initiatives that are critical to ensuring our communities are Healthy, Vibrant, Connected and Sustainable.
Healthy Communities
• This Council will remain focused on championing Healthy Communities that enhance the quality of life for residents.
• Ensure that affordable housing is developed quickly to meet the growing need across all of our communities.
• Breaking ground in the spring on the 32 unit build on South Street in Quinte West, that will be added to our directly operated portfolio.
• Focus on the health of our communities by prioritizing recruitment, retention and mentorship within our Paramedic Services to ensure long term success of our program that enables highly trained health practitioners to support our community.
• We will work with our community partners to continue to address issues related to homelessness and addictions, while focusing on the services needed for our senior populations.
• Our Long-Term Care homes will continue with implementation of best practice guidelines and Health Human Resources stabilization for the residents of Hastings Manor and Centennial Manor.
Vibrant Communities
• This council is committed to fostering vibrant communities that are economically resilient.
• Through the introduction and implementation of our Streamlined Planning Approach & Resource Centralization program, the updating of our Official Plan and by working alongside our municipal partners, this Council acknowledges the critical importance of land use planning.
• We will look at ways to attract further investments in the County to capitalize on our resources and work with our member municipalities to explore creative solutions to encourage new investments in available and underutilized areas.
• We will do our part in making Hastings County a desirable place to attract investments.
Connected Communities
• We will support connected communities that are engaged with the needs of our residents, our visitors and our partners.
• We continue to be committed to implementing shared services where we can and where it makes sense.
• We are committed to enhancing our role as a leader both across the County and the Province and to improving our communications with all of our stakeholders.
• The organization is currently transforming the way it conducts business and interacts with staff with the introduction of a new Human Resources Information System, which will help move the organization forward tremendously towards modernization.
• Remain focused on implementing other innovative technological solutions such as e-permitting, financial software, Next Gen 911, expansion of GIS supports, and others.
• And as we look to the role of technology within our municipality, we won’t shy away from the technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence.
Sustainable Communities
• We will promote sustainable communities that prioritize responsible growth, governance and financial stability.
• We will continue to work with all our staffing groups, unionized and non-unionized, to ensure that Hastings County enhances its role as an employer of choice and continue to maintain policies and procedures that encourage a healthy work environment across all our services.
• Recruitment, retention, succession planning, organizational development, and corporate wellness are all activities that we as a Council recognize need to be a focus to ensure the long term health of Hastings County.
• Committed to prioritizing our environmental stewardship. Hastings County is known for its natural resources, and we will protect and enhance our natural and physical assets to ensure that we are doing our part in protecting the environment.
• We will invest in energy efficiency enhancements to make our buildings greener and reduce our carbon footprint, while maintaining long-term financial viability through sound asset management planning.
• Fiscal responsibility is a core value to this Council, and to our residents, and we will continue to govern with this in mind.
To view the Warden’s entire inaugural remarks, please click here.
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For more information contact:
Bob Mullin, Warden
613.966.1311 ext. 3203
Connor Dorey, CAO
613.966.1311 ext 3204
