04/25/2026
People in Chatham vastly underestimate the impact James Snyder had on this city. He was a city builder supreme. Literally one of the key designers of Chatham today. Few people, alive or dead, deserve a space in the history books... and Chatham is fortunate to have had James as one of its most critical shapers.
James died on February 8th this year in New Zealand at his winter home. Today a gathering was held in his memory and is wrapping up right now (4 p.m.) in Studio 1, at the Chatham Cultural Centre.
James's contributions to Chatham-Kent cannot be put into words because a lot of what he did was behind the scenes. The headlines he was a part of built Chatham itself, his hand in nearly every aspect of local life. He played many roles, not just one.
I spent some time with James, and it was a great experience. We would have coffee in the William Street Cafe back in the day. He saw news media as building community, and I sought hard news. We never agreed on that, but I knew enough to listen to everything he spoke about because he was a vast resource of insider knowledge. He also explained the very minor cost of the annual budget that went to the arts, making sure I knew it. I heard him.
Singlehandedly he had more information than anyone including Mayors, historians or newspeople. The mechanics of how this city works he understood so well, because he designed many of them.
The arts, is of course, his biggest point of impact but it's a small fragment of his complete contribution. Every single politician (local, provincial or federal), community leader, charity, agency, and forward thinker for the community listened to James and took him very seriously. In some ways he was the heart of Chatham, if not, it's soul. Certainly a kind man. When we spoke, I always felt I was dealing with a historical figure. Someone whose every word could be a caption, every insight a light to other things. The role he played in Chatham can't be filled because it overlapped across multiple specialties. What we have left is the city he left behind.
Seeing him downtown talking to a planner, a mayor, an average guy on the street or an old woman out buying tea was commonplace. James didn't just feel the vibrance of the city, he lived it and breathed it. Seeing him cycle along King Street routinely was reassuring, because if James was safe then I was. Today even his bicycle is now part of local legend.
A rundown of the most obvious places you can see James's impact in Chatham, but his time working for the city makes his total impact unfathomable:
🎭 Arts & Culture
Chatham-Kent Arts Council formation and leadership? James
Arts & Culture Network structure and launch? James
Arts & Culture “Heroes Wall of Fame”? James
Youth Artist Scholarship program (arts network)? James
Arts advocacy integration into municipal cultural planning? James
🏛️ Municipal / Government strategy
Manager of Partnership Development (CK municipality grants + partnerships)? James
Manager of Strategic Services (Town of Lakeshore)? James
Municipal strategic planning and organizational development work? James
Community and nonprofit funding proposal systems inside CK? James
🧱 Community / nonprofit building
Formation and leadership of 30+ nonprofits over decades? James
Structuring boards and governance models for local organizations? James
Development of community-based funding proposals? James
🌾 Agriculture / economic development
Ontario Specialized Species Institute (Ridgetown) establishment involvement? James
Agri-food sector development initiatives in CK (specialized crops focus)? James
Agricultural innovation partnership development work? James
🏗️ Capital / infrastructure
Early-stage involvement in Capitol Theatre revitalization organizing and funding structure? James
Thank you James. Your impact will last.
- Greg Holden
