Candidate record
Offices held or sought
- Contested Ward 1 in the 2022 municipal election.
Prior election results
- Placed fourth in Ward 1 in 2022 with 397 votes; certified to run again in 2026.
Background and community work
Connection to Welland and the ward
- Has held volunteer leadership roles with the Welland Rose Festival.
- Grew up in Cooks Mills and has lived in Ward 1 for more than 15 years.
- Participated in community advocacy opposing the proposed expropriation of Marsha Rempel’s farmland in 2021; Council stopped the expropriation that March.
Source: Candidate submission · 18/09/2026
Work and leadership experience
- Founder of landscape-design business Visionary Garden Concepts.
- A decade of administrative and caregiving work at a local youth group home.
Municipal and public-service record
- City of Welland minutes record Jessica LaHay presenting the Welland Rose Festival at the November 13, 2023 special council meeting, and record Council receiving the presentations for information.
Committee and community service
- Listed as the Rose Festival’s first vice-president in a 2023 City record.
- Rose Festival president and former Welland Heritage Advisory Committee vice-chair.
- Member of the Welland Horticultural Society since 2022.
Source: Candidate submission · 18/09/2026
- Served as an Afro-Caribbean Festival event coordinator, including coordinating the media launch and securing a venue sponsor.
Source: Candidate submission · 18/09/2026
- Worked on grant applications and fundraising for the Welland Rose Festival.
Source: Candidate submission · 18/09/2026
Campaign priorities
- Jessica LaHay’s candidate-owned community page lists traffic and road safety, neighbourhood growth, support for local small businesses, parks/trails/family spaces, and City Hall transparency/communication as areas guiding her Ward 1 action plan.
- Prioritizes upgrading aging infrastructure and managing growth within infrastructure capacity.
Other positions
Campaign contact details
- Campaign email: votejessicaward1@gmail.com.
2022 campaign finances
Ward 1 councillor · Aug 10, 2022 to Dec 31, 2022
- Total contributions: $3,750.00
- Total campaign income: $3,750.00
- Total campaign expenses: $3,728.65
Contributions are included in income. Totals include reported goods and services.