Election countdown on
Councillors weigh in on making another run for office this October
Kim Craitor says he will make an announcement in the near future about his future in politics.
“I’ll make an announcement at the appropriate time,” said the current Niagara Falls city councillor and former MPP.
In the past, Craitor said he was considering running for mayor in 2018.
If he does, he should expect some stiff competition from Mayor Jim Diodati, who will seek a third term.
When pressed Monday if he plans to run for mayor, seek reelection as councillor, or try for regional councillor or even regional chair — Craitor has voiced frustration about the way Niagara Region has been operating — the veteran politician would not answer.
“I’m going to stick with what I said to you, that’s it.”
When asked if he could put a time estimate on when the announcement could be, Craitor said: “I’ll know when it is.”
Diodati has long publicly stated he will seek another term as mayor and reiterated that point Monday.
“I would be honoured and humbled if the people of Niagara Falls would allow me to continue on as their mayor, as there is still lots of work to do. I have to follow through and see that we complete some of these major initiatives that we’ve been very involved in, including the hospital, what we’re doing with Ryerson, the GO train and there’s lots of other developments that we’re working through that could have significant impacts on Niagara Falls and the region.”
He said while some people need to actually see a completed project before they believe it, “unfortunately that’s not how things actually come to be.”
“You need to believe it before you see it and you need to plan for it and then when it comes and it emerges then we’re going to have the celebration and the party. But until that day, there’s a lot of hard work and politics that go on behind the scenes. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it’s the same for major initiatives.”
Diodati said a new Niagara Falls hospital, at a cost of about $1 billion, will be the “biggest provincial project ever built in the region of Niagara.”
“People need to understand the significance of such an endeavour. We went from not having anything on the books to being treasury board approved.”
Diodati said he anticipates and expects a challenge in the mayor’s race.
“My team is really excited and motivated. We’re already discussing our strategies and we’re already building the team. I look forward to a good race. That’s what gets everyone’s attention, that’s what brings all the issues out into the forefront.”
Diodati said there’s always rumblings and rumours about who may challenge him.
“Some people wait and gauge to see the landscape, to see where their best opportunity might be. There’s a lot of moving parts. You’ve got what’s happening right now at the provincial level and there’s been an awful lot of turbulence there and that changes the dynamic. The Region has been in the news more recently than in the past, so people are weighing options and opportunities there as well.”
As for the rest of council, Coun. Mike Strange said he’s keeping his options open — whether to seek re-election in the October municipal election or to run as an independent in the June provincial election.
“Everybody has been calling me (saying) ‘you have to run independent, I’m sick of parties, I don’t want to deal with parties, I’d rather deal with an individual.’ The option is there. I’ve been talking to a few people and obviously need some financial backing and stuff to run independent because you don’t have a big party behind you and anything like that.”
Carolynn Ioannoni said she has not made a decision whether she will seek re-election.
Ioannoni, a veteran councillor who like Craitor has voiced her frustration with the way the Region has been operating, said she’s “definitely” not running for regional council.
Ioannoni said the last 18 months on city council “really did affect my health, my mental health, my love of this job.”
Last June, an integrity commissioner concluded that, “on a balance of probabilities,” Ioannoni improperly disclosed sensitive and confidential information discussed during a Jan. 24, 2017 closed-door meeting to a third party who was not entitled to such information.
The integrity commissioner concluded Ioannoni breached the city’s Code of Ethics/ Conduct.
Ioannoni denied she breached the code and filed a complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman to investigate the integrity commissioner’s probe, believing “key evidence” she provided to the integrity commissioner was not included in the report.
Ioannoni said that ordeal, as well as other incidents between her and some of her council colleagues and senior staff, has taken a toll on her.
“I really haven’t decided what I’m going to do. I spent 20 years asking questions and since the last 18 (months), getting pounded into the ground for asking the questions that I’ve been asking for 20 years. There’s so much going on … and behind the scenes — the mobbing, the attacking, the threatening. I’ve asked for help for being threatened I think for the last 16 months and nobody did anything.”
Ioannoni said she’s grateful for the positive comments she has received from constituents about her efforts on council.
“It makes me cry everytime somebody says that because it’s been such a hard year, it’s been such a terrible 18 months. I really appreciate people are starting to realize what’s really going on here and paying attention. Until people start to really understand what’s going on and come out and vote, there’s not going to be any change.”
Diodati said Ioannoni’s comments about mobbing, attacking and threatening are “simply not true.”
“When you point your finger at someone, there’s three pointing back,” he said.
“It’s very disappointing to see someone attempting to air their dirty laundry in public, looking to change the narrative of what actually happened.”
Diodati said Ioannoni was accused, and found by an integrity commissioner, of giving confidential information from a closed meeting of council to an outside party.
“Nobody is mobbing her, nobody is bullying her, none of this is the case. She hasn’t apologized yet for breaking the rules and breaking the Code of Conduct. Councillors felt betrayed when she was divulging in-camera, confidential information to people outside of city council. We don’t need to twist this into something other than what it is.”
Veteran Coun. Vince Kerrio said he’s on the fence about whether to seek re-election.
“I love being there, but the last bit of council has been a little bit rocky. I just want to be there to do business for the city, I’m not into all of the other stuff — I’m not into the personal things.”
Kerrio said he’s talking with his family before making a decision.
“I’m really not a politician, I’m just a business guy who wants to get on a board that happens to run the city. How do you get good people to run if they have to put up with some of the stuff we have to put up with?”
Veteran Coun. Wayne Thomson said he will seek re-election.
“Why should I quit now? There’s no question I entirely enjoy what I do. I’m totally involved. I never miss a phone call. This is something that I’ve done, on an off, over 50 years. I would have a very difficult time thinking that I would have a lot of idle time on my hands (if he didn’t run).”
Coun. Joyce Morocco said she, too, will seek re-election.
“We have to continue to be focused on getting the hospital and of course with the hospital there’s going to be other developments that are going to come out — making sure that we get the right development in the places it needs to go.”
Morocco said she wants to remain focused on investing in the city’s infrastructure and being a “strong voice in making sure that the dollars are going where they need to go.”
“Moving forward and making sure that the growth and the development of our area continues to go in a direction that’s going to work to make this a better place for everyone to live and bring better services.”
Coun. Wayne Campbell said he will seek re-election.
“I never intended to run in the first place this lasttimearound and Jim Diodati called me on a personal basis and asked if I would run and he wanted me on his team. I thought long and hard about it and obviously made the decision to run and I’m extremely happy I did.”
Campbell said there’s a lot of “unfinished things I want to see finished,” including the creation of an arts and culture hub, the arrival of regular GO train service and a new hospital.
Coun. Victor Pietrangelo said he will seek re-election as he continues to be interested in being involved in city business.
“I enjoy many of the different facets of the city, probably my biggest love would be the finances — seeing how we can minimize any type of tax impact, but still have very nice amenities.”
He said while he’s a “big fan” of recreation, he’s happy to see the city “making strides” and paying more attention to arts and culture.
“I really enjoy listening to people because I think that everyone brings something good to the table, whether it be individual councillors that I sit with, or even residents.”