After finishing in second place in voting four years ago, Robert Ritz is again running for mayor of Stratford. The 69-year-old chairs the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival and is a member of the United Way Perth-Huron building committee. For affordability, Ritz said in certain situations, the city would step in to develop housing as a way to lower costs. Ritz received 4,005 votes, or 35 per cent of the total, in 2022, just 345 votes behind Martin Ritsma. Ritsma became Stratford’s mayor after receiving 39 per cent of the vote.