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Several local candidates already in running for October election

May 3, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

With Ontario’s municipal elections now a little more than five months away, several local candidates have filed their paperwork and officially thrown their hats in the ring for a seat on Orangeville Council. 

Two prominent members of the community arrived at Town Hall early on Tuesday morning to declare their interest in representing the community. As of press time, there were two candidates running for Council and one, officially, running for the position of deputy mayor.

So what do we already know heading into the October vote? There will be at least some change on Council, with long-time representative Gail Campbell announcing last year that she would bow out of the political arena at the end of this current term. While there has been no official word, at least a couple of other members of this current Council have indicated they may not seek re-election.

Mayor Jeremy Williams first told the Citizen back in October of last year that he would once again stand for mayor. As we approach the end of Mr. Williams’ first term as head of Council, it’s clear for all to see that he is a divisive character. Much of this term of Council has been marred by in-fighting and a failure to work as a cohesive unit, perhaps best displayed during last year’s OPP costing proposal.

The mayor now has eight years of service under his belt at Town Hall, having previously served one term as councillor prior to the 2014 election. In that vote, he beat out the incumbent, Rob Adams, securing 52.84 percent of the popular vote.  

Another familiar name in Orangeville politics is Nick Garisto. Although he, like the mayor, has yet to officially file his paperwork, Mr. Garisto informed the Citizen this week that he will stand for the deputy mayor’s seat, currently held by Warren Maycock. It’s a familiar position for the long-time local business owner, who spent three years as deputy mayor from 2000 to 2003. Prior to that, he spent six years as a councillor having been elected to the position in 1994 and again in 1997.

After successfully running in the 2014 election, Mr. Garisto has had something of a tumultuous time in his most recent tenure. He led the much-maligned finance committee through two elections at the start of this current term, before Council voted in favour of a new budget process in mid 2016. Mr. Garisto missed almost six months’ worth of meetings between November of 2016 and April of 2017 due to poor health. He returned in time for the controversial vote on the future of the Orangeville Police Service and has been ever-present since. 

There is formidable competition for the deputy mayor’s spot. Having spent much of the past year attending Orangeville Council meetings and clueing up on the processes involved in municipal politics, Andy MacIntosh has officially declared his interest in the position. 

Another familiar name in the community, Mr. MacIntosh is known for his time spent with the Orangeville Fire Department, racking up 29 years of service, 16 years as chief of Dufferin County’s largest fire department, before retiring in February of 2016. 

Mr. MacIntosh took to Facebook late on Tuesday to address his plans ahead of the October vote.

“Since retiring, I have now been listening to local residents and their concerns about the direction things are going,” Mr. MacIntosh wrote. “I want to bring back Council accountability, respect for the taxpayer, and a spirit of cooperation to successfully address the challenges facing our community.”

Grant Peters, known for his role with the Orangeville Sustainability Action Team (OSAT), Trevor Castiglione, Lisa Post and Simran Bhamu have also filed their paperwork as they seek to make a run for Council. As of press time, they were the only individuals listed on the Town of Orangeville website as running for Council.

 

Ontario’s municipal elections will be held on Monday, October 22.

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