De-amalgamation leader to run in two elections
Roman Sarachman, the chair of the de-amalgamation group, Free Flamborough, will run in the provincial election in Flamborough-Glanbrook and contest Hamilton’s incumbent mayor Fred Eisenberger later in the year.
Sarachman has been approved by the conservative-leaning Trillium Party of Ontario to be its candidate in the new provincial riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook. Already seeking election in the riding is Progressive Conservative candidate Donna Skelly and for the Liberals it is Flamborough Coun. Judi Partridge.
“I still have some energy left,” said Sarachman, 70, who made up his mind a few days ago to run in both elections.
The provincial election is scheduled for June 7, while the municipal election date is set for Oct. 22.
Sarachman, who operates a high-end house-building business in Flamborough, was upset about how the Tory party nominated Skelly to be its candidate. The former leader, Patrick Brown, had stated he would not allow the other candidates, Dan Sadler, Nick Lauwers and Albert Marshall to be approved to seek the nomination. Sarachman supported Brown during the 2015 Tory leadership race. “This is not the democratic way,” he said. The Freelton resident said the two issues he is concentrating on is seeking a binding referendum to allow Hamilton residents, particularly in Flamborough and Glanbrook to de-amalgamate from the municipality. Amalgamation took in place since 2001.
De-amalgamation, he said, remains a contentious issue among rural areas when the six municipalities were merged by the Mike Harris Tories in 2000. After talking to a number of people on the streets of Binbrook, he said they were mostly in support of not being part of Hamilton.
“That’s what I always wanted, a referendum,” said Sarachman.
Sarachman is also supportive of eliminating the sex education curriculum that had been in place since 2015. He said most of the people he has talked to in Flamborough and Glanbrook want the curriculum removed arguing they don’t want the government involved in the issue.