Marianne has 16 years in municipal government — first as the City and Regional Councillor for Ward 2, and as Mayor of Burlington since 2018 (re-elected 2022). She chairs Ontario's Big City Mayors, sits on the AMO board, and was named Canada's Mayor of the Year in 2025 by Municipal World. Before politics, she was a journalist for more than 20 years. She and her husband chose Burlington 26 years ago to raise their three children.

She's seeking a third term to provide steady, experienced leadership through an uncertain time — protecting Burlington's finances, its waterfront and greenbelt, safe neighbourhoods, and the city's voice at every level of government. With at least three of seven council seats turning over, she believes continuity at the head of the table matters more than ever.

She stopped a plan for roughly 30 downtown high-rises and relocated the Urban Growth Centre to the GO station — the only city in Ontario to do so — which led the Ontario Land Tribunal to refuse two waterfront towers. She rebuilt the city's reserves to record levels, brought more amendments to reduce tax increases than any other councillor, opened the Skyway and Bateman community centres, and kept Halton the safest large community in Canada.

Right development, in the right place, at the right scale. She directs growth to the GO stations and transit hubs — not established neighbourhoods or the waterfront — while addressing the housing crisis through partnerships and faster, more transparent approvals. She's consistently defended Burlington's waterfront, greenbelt and rural areas.

She believes in shining a light on what makes Burlington special. She created the Key to the City to honour Burlingtonians — athletes, artists, volunteers and innovators — whose achievements put our city on the map. And through her leadership on the national stage, as Chair of Ontario's Big City Mayors and as Canada's Mayor of the Year, she's raised Burlington's profile and made sure our city's voice is heard well beyond our borders.

Sparingly, and with restraint. She has never used — and would never use — the veto or the power to pass a bylaw with the support of just one-third of council. She delegated nearly all of the administrative Strong Mayor powers back to council and staff, keeping only CAO hiring — and sought council's collaboration even there. Over two terms, 91% of council votes have been unanimous, because she works to bring people together rather than impose.

Elect Respect is a national movement for civility in public life that Marianne founded in response to the growing coarseness of our politics. It has been taken up by councils, chambers of commerce, business associations and organizations across the country. Her leadership on it was part of being named Canada's Mayor of the Year.