32 Falls candidates to compete for eight council seats
More than 30 people will vie for eight Niagara Falls city council seats in October with only one thing for certain: There will be at least one new face joining the team.
With Coun. Kim Craitor’s decision to challenge Jim Diodati for mayor, his seat on council is up for grabs for the Oct. 22 municipal election. Craitor led all candidates with more than 13,000 votes in the 2014 election, making his return to city council after resigning as Niagara Falls MPP in 2013.
All of the other seven incumbents have put their name forward for 2018. Veteran councillor and former mayor Wayne Thomson was first to register on May 1. Couns. Joyce Morocco and Vince Kerrio waited until last week.
Local candidates had until 2 p.m. Friday to register. It is still unclear whether the deadline will be extended following Premier Doug Ford’s surprise announcement of electoral changes in Ontario, including the cancellation of elections for regional chairman positions in Peel, York and Niagara and slashing the number of council positions in Toronto to 25 from 47.
Among the hopefuls in Niagara Falls are former councillors Shirley Fisher and Norm Puttick.
Puttick was defeated in the
2003 municipal election after 37 years on council. He was elected to regional council from 2006 to 2010 on a platform which, ironically, called for the elimination of regional council. Government waste at the region is still a sore spot for him.
“I’ve had local councillors say I’ve got more fire in my belly than anybody they know,” said Puttick, 87, when contacted Friday. “I just said to myself, the hell with it — age has got nothing to do with it. Experience doesn’t grow old.”
Among the notable names making a repeat bid for council are Rich Merlino, Kenneth Groves and Lori Lococo.
Attending most every council meeting in recent years, Lococo nearly made the cut in 2014, finishing just 608 votes behind eighth-place finisher Carolynn Ioannoni. She said finishing so close last time has “bolstered” her confidence for 2018.
“For me, Niagara Falls is my family,” she said. “This community means so much to me and I have been humbled and honoured by the encouragement that I constantly receive to offer my skills, experience and dedication to make our city the best possible place to live, work and play.”
Newcomers to the race this year include former NHL coach Steve Ludzik, Heart Niagara executive director Karen Stearne and Niagara Falls Comic Con co-founder Chris Dabrowski.
The complete list of candidates can be seen at www.niagarafalls.ca/city-hall.