Norwich Candidate Profile - Jim Palmer

Thursday, 21 May 2026 05:39

Jim Palmer would like to keep things quiet if he's re-elected as the Mayor of Norwich Township.

NORWICH TOWNSHIP - With just over 10 years of municipal politics under his belt, Jim Palmer is seeking a second term as the Mayor of Norwich Township.

He served as the Ward 3 councillor for two terms after he was first elected in 2015, and successfully ran for Mayor in 2022.

He says the current term of council has been working away at getting gravel roads surfaced over the past four years.

"It's a big job! The roads in our township and in most townships throughout Ontario have never been improved. They started off as a dirt road, they put a little bit of gravel down and they keep putting down more over the years and they keep grading, but they never get a really good road."

Palmer says council is working toward resurfacing almost four miles of roads this year, which will cost $1.4 million. He says it's a big undertaking, especially when you consider the fact that every $100,000 spent is 1 percent of the tax levy.

He says the next term of council will also have a big undertaking when it comes to maintaining the Township's assets, thanks to inflation.

"Inflation at 2 percent is considered normal, but currently in the United States the inflation is over 4.5 percent and it's likely to get higher. That means everything we buy is going to become more expensive and it's going to be hard for us to put away the proper amount of money."

He also says he would like to keep things quiet if he's re-elected

"You don't want anything to get excitable because that's when you get into trouble!"

Palmer grew up in Norwich Township, before heading off to the University of Waterloo to study engineering. He started working for Timberjack in Woodstock after graduation, and he eventually purchased his family's dairy farm in Norwich Township. He sold the cows and farmed the land for cash crop for 15 years, before deciding to enter politics.

Palmer says he also has some experience in the world of federal and provincial politics, serving as the president of the Oxford constituency for both levels for several years.

The municipal election is scheduled for October 26th.