Former deputy warden and West Perth deputy mayor accepts the gavel as Perth County warden

Newly acclaimed Perth County Warden Dean Trentowsky delivers his first official remarks of the 2026 county council term.

Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The 2025 deputy warden and deputy mayor of West Perth, Dean Trentowsky, has officially accepted the gavel and chain of office as Perth County’s 2026 warden.

At the annual Perth County warden’s election at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford Dec. 4, Trentowsky – the only county councillor who put their name forward for warden – was officially acclaimed as the top elected official and CEO of the county. After officially accepting the chain of office and gavel from past warden Doug Kellum, Trentowsky delivered his first official remarks as warden, setting the tone for the year ahead.

“The year ahead sits like a blank canvas before us. The paints are set to one side, and the brush to the other. That canvas is waiting to be filled,” Trentowsky said. “To borrow and adapt the Bob Dylan lyrics that were covered by The Grateful Dead, ‘Some day, everything is going to be different when I paint my masterpiece.’ Starting from here, from this moment forward, I invite everyone in this room to collectively pick up that brush together, dive into the paints and, together, let’s paint a picture in 2026 – a masterpiece we can all be proud of.”

Also elected at the ceremony Dec. 4, county councillor and Perth South interim mayor Sue Orr took over from Trentowsky as deputy warden for the 2026 term of county council.

The warden’s election is held annually on the first Thursday of December. The warden and deputy warden are elected by their peers on county council, which is made up of council representatives from each of Perth County’s lower-tier municipalities – West Perth, North Perth, Perth East and Perth South.

Though it has been past practice for council to agree on their nominees for the position before the election, should there be more than one candidate for each position, councillors would vote on their preferred options at the election itself.

The election is also an opportunity for local dignitaries to recommit to collaborating with Perth County council and staff on shared priorities in the year ahead. During this year’s election, Perth-Wellington MP John Nater attended the ceremony virtually from Ottawa, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae delivered his congratulations to the new warden and deputy warden by video and Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee attended in person.

“I want to thank the County of Perth for your collaboration and partnership over the years,” Ritsma said. “ … When we talk about our relationship with the county, whether it’s the shared services that we collaborate with, the trade and investment trips to countries like Japan, Germany and France, cultivating opportunities for both the county, city and St. Marys, or working together to promote PC Connect – the connection between the rural part of the county and our urban, and then the first and last mile to places like Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, etc. – we know that working together will benefit our residents and our businesses.”

“We have a longstanding relationship with the county; we appreciate the partnership,” Strathdee said. “As everyone knows – there’s probably provincial legislation that passed this morning that no one knows what it means again – the change is rapid and very tough for staff. So, sincerely, we appreciate the efforts and emergency services and shared services. I also think that, given the changes in the political climate, now more than ever it’s important that we work together to move forward because it seems critical mass is important for the government when we talk about housing and grants and so forth. It’s important more now than ever that we try and work together and be on the same page.”

In addition to the local dignitaries, members of the Perth County Past Wardens Association were on hand to congratulate both Kellum on a job well done and Trentowksy and Orr on their new positions as the heads of council. Past warden, chair of the Perth County Past Wardens Association and Perth South deputy mayor Bob Wilhelm officially presented the past-wardens pin to Kellum in recognition of his service to the county.

Following the election, members of county council, county staff and special guests enjoyed a short reception before the first county council meeting of the 2026 term under the leadership of Trentowsky and Orr officially commenced.