Grimsby elects new mayor, part of wave of change
New mayor Jeff Jordan would like to see council meetings streamed online
Grimsby has a new mayor.
When the dust settled, Jeff Jordan defeated current Ward 1 councillor Steve Berry in a vote that proved to not be very close. Jordan picked up 6,344 votes compared to Berry’s 2,527.
The race for mayor became wide open when current Mayor Bob Bentley announced back in May that he would not be seeking re-election.
“I had a really good feeling going into the last week of the campaign,” Jordan said as he celebrated his win with his family and supporters at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 127. “Still, I’m surprised at the number of votes I won by.”
Jordan’s win led a wave of change across the political landscape in the town. Incumbents, including regional councillor Tony Quirk, fell by the wayside. The only members of the current council to buck the trend included John Dunstall in Ward 3 and Dave Kadwell in Ward 2. They will be joined around the horseshoe by Reg Freake and Kevin Ritchie in Ward 1, Lianne Vardy in Ward 2, Randy Vaine in Ward 3, along with Dorothy Bothwell and
Dave Sharpe in Ward 4.
“The people spoke,” Jordan said. “They wanted openness and transparency at town hall.”
Among some of the first things Jordan would like to do when he officially takes the reins in December is to work toward having council meetings streamed live
online. Additionally, he is proposing “open mics” be held prior to the start of council meetings.
“I want to make it easier for residents to appear as a delegation,” he said. “I just want us to operate with transparency. People felt they had lost their voice with the current council.”