In Their Own Words
Nicole’s work in Cobourg has always been rooted in community, collaboration, and the relationships built along the way. Here’s what people who have worked with her, supported her, and seen her leadership firsthand have to say.
“Nicole Beatty is my choice for Cobourg’s mayor because she is respected and respectful, traits currently missing at the top. Nicole listens attentively to everyone and is thoughtful before she speaks. She is decisive and articulate. Nicole exercises good judgment personally and professionally. She sees her role as one who serves, and not as a strong power broker. Nicole grew up here, and knows our community and the diversity of our people. Nicole values our heritage, the quality of life we are so fortunate to have, and respects a sustainable future. She is reasonable in her thinking, sensible in her approach, and she appreciates and behaves appropriately as our representative. She is not out to impress with alleged involvements she hasn’t had. Nicole exemplifies integrity, honesty and transparency. She has our votes.”
Faye, Campaign Volunteer
“My choice for our next mayor is Nicole Beatty. Nicole leads with compassion and collaboration. I want a mayor who takes into consideration all of Cobourg’s residents and who truly wants to build community instead of divide.”
Kerry Smith
Nicole knows how to pull people together to get things done. And she gives back to the community through her various charitable involvements, like Song, that brings music to underprivileged children.
Astrid Hudson
“Nicole Beatty would make a good mayor for Cobourg as I see her working for all of us Cobourgians in her present position of deputy mayor. Nicole sees the big picture of what is needed but also listens and responds to it. Anyone who reaches out to her with questions, comments or suggestions for a better Cobourg.”
Brenda Ferris
Thank you Nicole for running for Mayor. We have thought for a long time you are exactly the right person to lead Cobourg back to being Ontario’s feel good town.
Erin Edwards and Spencer Henderson
Nicole Beatty has a wealth of municipal experience as both a Councillor and Deputy Mayor to smoothly transition into the role of Mayor. Nicole without question will strive to create a collaborative culture with Council, staff, Northumberland County and community partners. She will also ensure that Cobourg’s newly adopted Official Plan will welcome new growth that is complimentary to the historical and cultural sensitivities within our town. Nicole will absolutely use discretion on the use of Strong Mayor Powers which would be a very welcome change. I encourage you to vote for Mayor candidate-Nicole Beatty and support her nomination.
John Henderson (Mayor Town of Cobourg 2018-2022)
As a parent and social worker, living and working in Cobourg, I care deeply about building a community where everyone has the opportunity to feel heard, valued, and included. This is the primary reason why Nicole Beatty’s approach to leadership resonates so strongly with me. I value her emphasis on listening to community voices, bringing different perspectives to the table, and ensuring that people have meaningful opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect them.
I also appreciate Nicole’s recognition that strong communities require us to consider the needs of people who may experience barriers to housing, health care, mental health and addiction services, or participation in community life. Her focus on collaboration, accessibility, and connecting people with appropriate support reflects values that are important to me both personally and professionally.
I am proud to support Nicole Beatty in her campaign for Mayor of Cobourg and appreciate her commitment to values-driven leadership, where people of diverse backgrounds and lived-experience feel safe, respected, and represented.
Carolyn Higginson
When we talk with Nicole she listens! She sits still and listens to our voices. I have witnessed this amazing talent on multiple occasions. She doesn’t jump in. She listens and reflects. And then when she replies, we know she has heard us and will take appropriate actions or offer an explanation or another take on the issue. Cobourg is a small town with big city issues. We need Nicole’s style of listening first to understand and then to be understood. Decision making at the council room and out in public and in one to one conversations will all benefit from this strength in her communication style. A mayor needs to listen first.
Sue Stephenson
Nicole has my support because she has substantive experience, relatability, integrity, and humility. Seeing first-hand how she's worked during council meetings, it could not be more clear to me that Nicole is the best option for mayor; she listens, isn’t afraid to change her opinion or admit when she’s wrong, and stands up for matters when needed. Home-grown like myself, Nicole clearly not only understands Cobourg's small-town concerns, but also respects them by actively working to preserve what makes Ontario's feel good town so special. Simply put, getting to know Nicole has given me and my family reason to be optimistic again for Cobourg’s future.
Dan Hallatt
“I have known, worked with and volunteered with Nicole for many years in many capacities – when she was fund raising in a professional capacity and as a volunteer Board member for SONG (Sounds of the Next Generation); over my many years as an original member of the incredibly wonderful organization 100 Women in Northumberland Who Care which she co-founded and has led for over ten years; as a volunteer packing food hampers for her amazingly successful project to provide food hampers for families and individuals in need during holiday seasons; watching and listening to her during her term as a Cobourg Councillor and more recently as Deputy Mayor; as a client when I engaged her as an advisor for a personal task I needed assistance with; and finally, for many years as someone honoured to be her friend.
In all of these capacities I have found her to be most capable, professional, empathetic, honest, and honourable. Throughout this time she has demonstrated her leadership, team building and visionary skills; outstanding communication abilities; and an uncanny ability to connect with people. She follows a regular practice of researching issues, listening to and respecting the points of view of both the public and at Council, where she takes an informed stand and votes accordingly.
Furthermore she has acknowledged where she feels, for whatever reason, she has erred in the past. This is not “flipping and flopping” as some accuse her of but rather being open to learning new factors and information, different opinions, adjusting with learned experience and being able to modify one’s views when it is appropriate to do so.
She considers many points of view in many areas and doesn’t bow to the threat of Provincial views believing she has been elected to represent the people of Cobourg. She knows and sticks to her values and ethics and, while giving consideration to other’s input, makes up her own mind on where she stands and then stands strong.
Nicole is a most capable woman who has contributed a lot to the community over many years; has shown leadership, initiative and compassion outside of municipal politics and has the necessary experience (8 years of it) of municipal governance.
Nicole is a very worthy candidate to be our next Mayor. I am honoured to support her through campaigning, financially and in as many other ways as I can in her desire to be our next Mayor. She is what Cobourg needs now.”
Jennifer Darrell
In every community, there are leaders who stand out not because of their titles, but because of the way they make people feel. For me, Nicole Beatty has always been one of those rare individuals whose leadership is defined by compassion, empathy, and an unwavering commitment to people. When I think about what meaningful leadership looks like in Cobourg, I think of Nicole — her presence, her kindness, and her ability to bring people together with sincerity and grace.
What moves me most about Nicole Beatty is her ability to listen. She listens not to respond, but to understand. In a world where many leaders rush to speak, Nicole slows down, makes space, and ensures that every voice — especially the quiet ones — is heard. Her empathy is not performative; it is lived. You can see it in the way she engages with families, seniors, newcomers, volunteers, and community groups. She carries people’s stories with respect, and she treats every concern with dignity. That kind of emotional intelligence is rare, and it is one of the reasons I hold her leadership in such high regard.
As a woman in leadership, Nicole Beatty embodies strength wrapped in gentleness. She leads with courage, but never with ego. She makes difficult decisions, but always with heart. She brings a perspective that is both grounded and visionary — a blend of resilience, compassion, and clarity that enriches our community. I have seen her navigate challenging moments with calmness and integrity, never losing sight of the human impact behind every issue. Her leadership reminds us that empathy is not a weakness; it is a powerful force for connection and progress.
One of Nicole’s most admirable qualities is her approachability. She is the kind of leader you can walk up to at a community event, at the grocery store, or on the street, and she will greet you with warmth and genuine interest. There is no barrier, no distance, no sense of hierarchy. She treats people as equals, as partners, as neighbours. That openness builds trust — the kind of trust that strengthens communities and inspires people to participate, collaborate, and care.
I have also witnessed how Nicole Beatty champions inclusion. She brings diverse voices to the table, encourages shared ownership, and ensures that decisions reflect the needs of the whole community. Her leadership is not about spotlight; it is about service. It is about lifting others up, creating opportunities, and building a Cobourg where everyone feels seen and valued.
In every interaction, Nicole demonstrates that leadership is not simply about guiding others — it is about uplifting them. Her compassion, her empathy, her integrity, and her unwavering dedication to community well‑being make her a leader I deeply admire. When I think about the kind of future I want for Cobourg, I see the qualities that Nicole Beatty embodies: kindness, courage, inclusivity, and a genuine love for the people she serves.
Biju Warrier
My own life has shaped the way I think about that. Our family is connected to the construction industry in Toronto. I’m the child of immigrants from Holland and Belgium. I’m a mom of five. I’m a small business owner. So I know something about building. I know that building means imagining what does not exist yet. Sometimes it means repairing what has been neglected. Sometimes it means protecting what was built before us. And sometimes it means having enough courage to look at something we have grown accustomed to and ask: Can we do better?
Those experiences have shaped what I personally look for in municipal leadership. I look for someone willing to listen before speaking. Someone willing to bring people to the same table. Someone who understands that leadership is not about having every answer, but about knowing how to bring together the people who can help find them. Those are qualities I have seen in Nicole Beatty.
I have watched Nicole show up. I have watched her listen. I have watched her engage with the people, businesses and organizations that give a community its character and its strength. And I have seen an understanding that I believe matters enormously in municipal government: no meaningful project belongs to one person. The strongest ideas become stronger when a community can see itself in them, when residents participate, organizations collaborate, businesses contribute, and neighbouring communities recognize that our futures are connected.
Because Cobourg does not exist on an island. What happens in Cobourg matters beyond Cobourg, and what happens across Northumberland County matters to Cobourg. Our economies overlap. Our families cross municipal boundaries. Our organizations collaborate. Our history is intertwined. And our future will be, too.
So when I think about the future of Cobourg, I am not simply asking what Cobourg is today. I am asking what it can become tomorrow. What can we protect? What can we repair? What can we build? What can we imagine that does not exist yet? And how do we make sure the people who call this community home have a place in answering those questions?
For me, supporting Nicole is about that possibility. It is about respecting the generations that built this community without believing their work is finished. It is about protecting the character of Cobourg while having the courage to prepare it for what comes next. It is about understanding that progress does not have to mean forgetting where we came from. It can mean carrying the best of it forward.
Because a town is more than its boundaries on a map. It is every street where somebody built a life, every storefront where somebody took a risk, every organization where somebody volunteered, every old building that carries a piece of our story, every new idea waiting for somebody to believe in it, every neighbour who has chosen to call this place home, and every child who will one day inherit what we choose to build today.
That is the Cobourg I am thinking about. Not only the Cobourg we inherited, but the Cobourg we will leave behind.
And that is why I’m supporting Nicole Beatty for Mayor of Cobourg.
Dani, The Designer on the Hill
I think it best that those who do not know of Nicole's work over the years - who are still open to looking at 2 or 3 candidates, do not have to hear what I would love to say.
I have served on some boards and committees that are targeted as "enablers", who "take money they have not earned," who "hand out drugs", tolerate "criminals", etc. I absolutely oppose these comments, and those who for whatever reason, keep repeating them.
I am on the Community Liaison Committee which the current mayor would like to abolish. At least 2 other members are known for either the many committees and boards they have served on, or the outspoken rejection of much that is on Facebook, from Cobourg Politics in particular. I do not want my personal views or reputation to be used against Nicole.
I have engaged in many conversations with folks uncertain of where their priorities are, and know that most have been persuaded to do the right thing with their vote for mayor. I am encouraging them to speak with their friends - to make certain they vote (many do not like doing so on an instrument, not in person).
It is obvious that some candidates have aligned with the current mayor. I am encouraging attendance at debates, where they will not have clever folks putting together platforms for FB, etc. And with much reluctance, reminding people that they do NOT need to vote for all 5 members of council, if questioning some of the candidates.
Another thing I have been advocating for is that in addition to affordable and appropriate housing, with various supports, creating a social enterprise would assist many who are not employed, lack permanent housing, and are dealing with physical or mental health issues, drug or alcohol dependency, etc. I have met a number of men and women with various skills, abilities and desires to enter the workforce.
I am going back some decades to my work life in Toronto - where we were able to create A-way Couriers, the Raging Spoon restaurant and catering service, hire some residents of Street City to work on rebuilding an old warehouse into groups of units with bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. - so they were not sleeping on mats on the floor, etc. I know the founders of Beyond the Blue Box shared a vision of recycling goods - but offering adults with developmental delays jobs, training, and essential community participation. That led to several grocery stores hiring folks, supporting them and seeing them prosper. These social enterprises may fade over time, as new boards, new staff, focus on other areas - but the examples are good, and are something we could work for in Cobourg. TO me, a MUCH better answer than "put them in jail", force them into rehab", etc. This might be something for Nicole to address in the debates - and it has appeal to those of us who care for ALL.
Enough - a long way of saying I think it best that I remain quietly in the background but please know I am doing all I can to ensure we have the proper people on council, and in positions where we need to push higher streams of government - like our mayor and deputy mayor!
Liz Greaves