Apparently, municipalities throughout Ontario were voting for change and elected new people to council. Not so in Georgina. Mind you, I wanted our Mayor back in. Rob Grossi is good for the people in Georgina. It may have taken longer than expected, but we are getting most of the things we asked for - businesses in town, improved roads, etc.
Two wards - ward 1 and ward 2 had no incumbents running, so we have new people in those wards. It will be interesting to see how they fare. I really wasn't happy with anyone in my ward - ward 1. I should have run myself. Maybe next time.
Ward 2 was interesting. I can't even remember the name of the person who won - I just know it wasn't Dan Fellini, who would have been absolutely amazing had he won. He only lost by 24 votes. So, anyone in ward 2 who didn't vote - shame on you!
Ward 3 had a Councillor that many complained about, but he was returned anyway. He didn't impress me in the all candidates meetings. Two new contenders - Becky Rundle and Jason Laidler brought great hope. I pinned my hopes on Becky, and even suggested to Jason that he drop out of the race and throw his support behind her. He didn't. He came in 3rd; Becky was second. Votes for Becky and Jason together would have overwhelming surpassed the votes for the incumbent. By not dropping out of the race, the vote ended up being divided and the incumbent returned. If Jason's intent was to get the incumbent out of office, he should have thrown his support to Becky. Becky would have been amazing - she attends most council meetings, has the flexibility in her job to be a "full time" councilor and really cares about the community and her ward. I sincerely hope she runs again next time.
Ward 5 was another interesting race. Newcomer Iris Cancian-Staniscia looked very promising. I have been listening to Pefferlaw residents bitch and complain for years. They had a chance to change things. They returned the incumbent. Those who voted for him no longer have the right to complain. Those who didn't vote at all - shame on all of you. Now be quiet and sit down. You've gotten what you deserve!
The biggest threat to the current Mayor was Peter Juras. He challenged Grossi last time and lost, and he lost again. He attends no council/committee meetings and only reads minutes after the fact, which as we all know don't really reflect the "feeling" of the meeting. Pretty gutsy going for the top job (most people would want to be a Councillor first), but he defended that because the Mayor's job pays more.
Danny Wheeler was challenged by Don Slessor for Regional Councillor. Regional Councillor is a big deal, and not only does Slessor not have council experience, he's also a newcomer to the area, having just moved here in June. If he decides to run again in four years though, he stands a good chance of being successful. He's charismatic, friendly, has connections, etc. Definitely a contender. He should have run to be a Councillor first though. That would have indoctrinated him into the ways of our community first.
All in all, an interesting election. Congratulations to Rob Grossi for holding onto his job, and best wishes for the next four years!
To Naomi Davison in ward 1 - we'll be waiting for that pool you promised us in four years. I have a very good memory!
This work by Suzette Leeming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License.
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