Elections and voting · Water and sewage · Housing

Guide to the 2026 Ward 2 council candidates

Full title: Ward 2 Council Candidates, 2026 · Written by John Farrugia

Written before the October 26, 2026 election. This report is kept as it was, for the record. To see who won and what they promised, go to Council 2026-2030.

First publishedOctober 18, 2026

Last updatedOctober 26, 2026

Records checked up toOctober 18, 2026

Full report18 pages, with every source

Read the full report Download PDF

This guide uses public records to compare the five people who ran for three Ward 2 seats on Strathroy-Caradoc Council in 2026.

What happened

Five people ran for three Ward 2 seats: Sheri Faccenda, Sandi Hipple, Joshua Randall, Charles Reath and Greg Willsie, listed in alphabetical order.
Sandi Hipple and Greg Willsie are sitting Ward 2 councillors, so the guide also lists their recorded council votes and motions.
Sheri Faccenda ran in 2022, while Joshua Randall and Charles Reath were running for the first time.
There was no formal Ward 2 debate, so the guide uses the candidates' websites, campaign pages and news features, plus one organizer's short recap of a candidates' night.
The guide does not endorse anyone, and it says whether each point comes from official records, news reports or the candidate's own words.

Why it matters to you

Ward 2 covers Mount Brydges, Melbourne and the rural area around them, and its voters elect three of the seven councillors. Big local issues include the Mount Brydges sewage plant, the arena, fire stations and growth.

Words with a dotted underline: tap them to see what they mean.

What the evidence shows

Shown in recordsTown documents, minutes or other official records show this.Reported, not provenSaid in the news, by a person, or claimed in court. Not proven by records.Still unansweredA question the records do not answer yet.

Shown in recordsTwo of the five are sitting Ward 2 councillors, and the third current Ward 2 councillor, Brian Derbyshire, is running for Mayor, so at least one Ward 2 seat will go to someone new. page 1
Shown in recordsSheri Faccenda finished 4th of 7 in Ward 2 in 2022, and the posted minutes of the town advisory committee she has sat on since 2023 list her at all 23 of its meetings. page 7
Shown in recordsIn recorded votes, Sandi Hipple voted for the 2024 interim fix, the 2025 rebuild decision and the CIMA+ study for the Mount Brydges sewage plant, and against the 2024 budget. page 8
Shown in recordsIn July 2025, as a resident, Joshua Randall sent Council a formal complaint about service differences in Mount Brydges, such as drainage, roads, street lighting and snow clearing. page 10
Reported, not provenCharles Reath, a volunteer firefighter for more than 30 years, told myFM that the sewer system and the Mount Brydges arena are big issues. page 11
Shown in recordsIn recorded votes, Greg Willsie voted against the 2024 interim fix and the 2025 rebuild of the Mount Brydges sewage plant, and against the 2024 budget. page 12
Still unansweredThere was no formal Ward 2 debate, and the three meet-the-candidates events were not recorded. page 1
Still unansweredThe guide asks several candidates what should happen at the Mount Brydges sewage plant and how it should be paid for. page 7

Still unanswered

What the candidates said at the three meet-the-candidates events, because none was recorded and only one organizer's short recap was published.
How the two councillors voted on most decisions, because most council votes are voice votes that do not name who voted which way.
Several candidates have no public statement on topics such as the sewage plant, the housing corporation, fire services or the Adelaide Metcalfe dispute.

What's in the full report

Publication details page 1
About this review page 1
What you need to know page 1
What an organizer reported from the October 8 Legion night page 2
How and when to vote page 3
The candidates at a glance page 3
Where they stand on the main Ward 2 issues page 4
The two councillors side by side: recorded votes page 5
Ward 2 issues in the 2022-2026 term page 6
1. Sheri Faccenda page 6
2. Sandi Hipple page 8
3. Joshua Randall page 9
4. Charles Reath page 11
5. Greg Willsie page 12
2022 Ward 2 results and campaign spending page 14
Notes page 14
References - clickable links page 14
Updates and corrections page 17

Words used in this report

Ward: One area of the town that elects its own councillors; Ward 2 is the former Caradoc Township.
Recorded vote: A vote where the minutes list how each member voted.
Voice vote: Members answer aloud and the minutes just say 'Carried' or 'Lost', so individual votes are not shown.
Moving and seconding: Putting a motion forward, and backing it so it can be debated; neither one shows how a member finally voted.
Closed session (in-camera): A part of a council meeting the public cannot attend.
Sole-source: Hiring a company directly without asking others to bid.
Asset management: Planning how to look after and replace town property like roads, pipes and buildings.
Declared conflict of interest: A member saying they have a personal stake in an item, and so not taking part.
Integrity Commissioner: An independent officer who looks into complaints that a council member broke the code of conduct.
Campaign financial statement (Form 4): The form every candidate files after an election showing money raised and spent.

Updates and corrections

Every change to this report is listed here. An Update adds new information. A Correction fixes a mistake. A Minor change is wording, layout or branding only.

Update October 26, 2026
Added Greg Willsie's October 5, 2026 notice of motion asking for a report on changes at the Caradoc Community Centre, staff's answers, and its withdrawal.
Minor change October 19, 2026
The publication logo was replaced with the new approved Council Watch logo; no text, findings or sources changed.
Minor change October 18, 2026
Council Watch branding, clickable citations and meeting-video time ranges were added; the research cutoff did not change.
Correction October 18, 2026
Greg Willsie's departure from the housing corporation board is now dated to mid-December 2024 as reported at the time, with the board's later record showing it taking effect February 25, 2025.
Correction October 18, 2026
The guide had said moving or seconding a motion showed a councillor's vote; it now says it does not, and Greg Willsie's 2025 budget vote is labelled as reported by myFM because the minutes say only 'Carried'.
Update October 18, 2026
Changed 'no debate was held' to say there was no formal debate, but three meet-the-candidates events were held and not recorded, and added an organizer's recap of the October 8 night.
Original publication October 18, 2026
Published at the current Google Drive link and shared in local Facebook groups.

This page is a short guide to the full report. If they ever seem to differ, the full report is the record. Questions or corrections: john.v.farrugia@gmail.com.