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Darrin Davidson lobbying courts to allow 2018 run for mayor

July 13, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

There could yet be a third name in the race for Orangeville Council’s top job.

Local resident Darrin Davidson announced on Tuesday that he was “one step closer to running for mayor” in a statement to Orangeville’s media. Mr. Davidson, who has unsuccessfully stood for a position on Council in each of the past two elections, is currently banned from running for municipal office after missing the deadline to submit his 2014 campaign financial statement.

That could be about to change, however, with Mr. Davidson lobbying the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to overturn the decision.

“I was completely in compliance with everything on the financial side, the problem is I submitted the paperwork late,” Mr. Davidson told the Citizen. “Everything was due at 2 p.m. on March 27, 2015 and I missed the deadline by some 58 minutes.”

He added, “It is regrettable for many reasons, of which I take full ownership of, full stop. That said, we are pursuing this action for relief from the courts, as we are confident our position will end up serving the very best interests of the town.”

Mr. Davidson is hoping to have his day in court as soon as July 23. Should he get the news he is looking for, Darrin says he will immediately start the process to officially declare his candidacy.

Town Clerk Susan Greatrix has already been made aware of Mr. Davidson’s intent to run in the upcoming election. The clerk organized a special in-camera session of Council in late June, where members had the opportunity to address contents of a letter submitted by Mr. Davidson asking both the Town and Council to not oppose his efforts. To date, Mr. Davidson has had no further correspondence with the Town or any other member of Council.

While he was hesitant to discuss the election ahead of his superior court hearing, Mr. Davidson believes the community “is in desperate need of authentic leadership”.

“This is something I’ve been thinking about since the last election, literally since the day after the last vote,” Mr. Davidson said. “I’m confident, both in my ability (to stand for mayor) and in the court (making a favourable decision). In recent times, the courts have supported people in positions similar to mine, so for that reason I’m feeling very good about this.”

The deadline for candidates to submit their nomination papers for October’s election is July 27.

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