PC David Piccini ousts Liberal Lou Rinaldi
Progressive Conservative candidate David Piccini is the new
MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South.
He had 36.7 per cent of the vote, followed by Jana Papuckoski (NDP) and Lou Rinaldi (Liberal) with more than 24 per cent each.
Final numbers were not available at press time.
Piccini held his victory party at Dalewood Golf Club in Cobourg. He wasn’t available for comment Thursday night.
The Port Hope resident ran as a Tory candidate in the 2015 federal election in the riding of Ottawa Vanier, but failed to overthrow Liberal MP Mauril Belanger, who’d held the seat since 1995.
This time, however, he was successful in his bid to oust the incumbent.
Piccini is an advisor to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, where he provides advice on policy, business and operational issues related to the college’s international activities.
Meanwhile, at Carpenters Union Hall in Port Hope, Rinaldi acknowledged that voters wanted something new.
“The people have spoken. They’re looking for a change, by the looks of it, they got change today,” he said.
Rinaldi served as MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West from 2003 to 2011, and then again from 2014 to now.
The riding boundaries were redrawn to match the new boundaries set for the 2015 federal election, including Peterborough County townships of Otonabee-South Monaghan and Asphodel-Norwood with Northumberland.
The 71-year-old said he accepts the democratic process and will move on.
“I have spent the best 12 years of my life working with the people of Northumberland-Quinte West, with no regrets whatsoever,” Rinaldi said.
There were also several other candidates in the race including Paul Cragg (Stop Climate Change party), Jeff Wheeldon (Green party), and Derek Sharp (Trillium party).
Peterborough County warden Joe Taylor kept an eye on the results at home, flipping between channels covering the election and the Stanley Cup.
There are three ridings in the county including Northumberland-Peterborough South (where Taylor is deputy reeve) and Peterborough-Kawartha and Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes Brock.
Conservative incumbent Laurie Scott held onto Haliburton-Kawartha-Lakes-Brock and in Peterborough-Kawartha, Conservative Dave Smith was elected. Before he got word of Smith’s victory, Taylor said he looks forward to working with Piccini and continuing to work with Scott, who he’s worked with for a few years now.
“She works hard for that riding and represents them well,” Taylor.
When Taylor met Piccini a couple of weeks ago, the warden told him he didn’t want Northumberland-Peterborough South to be a forgotten corner of the new riding.
Taylor said he was assured by Piccini that that wouldn’t happen.
“I will trust him and take him at his word and will watch closely to make sure that that does not happen,” he said.