Falls mayor holds off challengers to win seat
Diodati wins handily over Craitor, Mansour and Finn
Mayor Jim Diodati took an early lead and ran with it Monday night, fending off a challenge from longtime city councillor Kim Craitor and two others to win a third term as Niagara Falls mayor.
Unofficial results show Diodati, 53, received 13,875 votes to Craitor’s 8,252 trailed by two first-time candidates – businesswoman Dinah Mansour, with 1,047 votes and Kip Finn with 710.
In his speech to supporters at the Delphi Hall on Portage Road, Diodati noted his ongoing battle with cancer.
“When we got the news, retreat was never an option,” he told supporters. “Our kids’, our grandkids’, all of our futures were at stake.”
From the start, it was a compelling race for the city’s top elected post.
In July, Diodati was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer, and immediately started chemotherapy. The chemo took a toll on him physically and limited his ability to campaign.
Just over a week ago, his doctors declared him cancer-free, though the treatments continue.
He campaigned on what he called strong progress for the city, pointing to the expected arrival of the GO train in 2023, construction of a new south Niagara hospital and the ap-
proval of a campus-style venture downtown with Ryerson University he said is imminent.
As a member of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority through his role as a regional representative, Diodati — and the rest of the members — were criticized by the provincial auditor general for their handling of the massive Thundering Waters residential development proposed for Niagara Falls.
“I’m so grateful and thankful for the support of my family and friends,” he told supporters Monday.
“You stepped up for me, and now I’ll be able to continue to step up for you.”
Craitor looked to be a formidable opponent, with a total of 17 years on city council and 10 more as Liberal MPP for Niagara Falls.
He campaigned in favour of having the city put more emphasis on upgrading its existing services, such as sewer upgrades and better local transit.
The unofficial voter turnout for Niagara Falls, with approximately 61,095 eligible voters, was 39.6 per cent – up slightly from 2014 when approximately 36 per cent of voters cast ballots, but far from the increase online watchers hoped for.