Bennett, Therrien ready to go toe to toe as races take shape

For the first time in at least 40 years just two candidates will go head-to-head in the mayor’s race in Peterborough, which could be seen as either distressing apathy toward local politics or the opportunity for a refreshingly clear choice.

Looking at the rest of the city council slate, apathy doesn’t seem to be the problem. With the declaration period closed, 25 hopefuls are running for 10 council seats. That’s the same number as in 2014 and about the norm over the past few decades.

A variety of factors likely contributed to the minimalist mayoral field. A third candidate, restaurant owner Cameron Green, dropped out just hours before the deadline to declare. Green would have been a minor factor in terms of total support but could have had an impact on the final outcome.

He would likely have drawn more votes away from incumbent Daryl Bennett than from challenger Coun. Diane Therrien, and if the outcome turns out to be close might have given Therrien the deciding edge.

Council veterans who were thought to be interested – including Coun. Henry Clarke and former councillor Bob Hall – might have decided Bennett was too strong a candidate to challenge.

Both would have agreed with Bennett on many of the issues. Both are running for council seats.

For some of the same reasons, Therrien likely caused potential “progressive” candidates to back off. She ticks lots of the boxes for the anti-Bennett, prochange coalition: young, female, left of centre, and with four years experience as a Town Ward councillor.

Bennett and Therrien were polar opposites on most of the major issues of the past four years, including The Parkway, casino, sale of the city electricity distribution network to Hydro One and the proposed $75-million purchase of more than 4,000 acres of land from Cavan Monaghan Township.

Bennett, a businessman who has softened his hardheaded approach somewhat during two generally productive terms as mayor, goes into the campaign as the favourite. Rallying around a single strong candidate gives opponents their best chance to defeat him.

In Peterborough County, the leadership landscape will see a lot of guaranteed change.

Among the eight county municipalities, five heads of councils are stepping aside. Four of them – Reeve Dave Nelson of Otonabee South-Monaghan and mayors Ron Gerow of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Bev Mathews of Trent Lakes and Mary Smith of Selwyn – represent 120 years of council experience.

That’s large-scale generational change. And it comes at a time when new Premier Doug Ford is upsetting the provincial-municipal balance, putting added pressure on less experienced replacements.

One interesting sidelight to the old guard/new guard scenario is the potential return of Neal Cathcart to Cavan Monaghan council, where he is running for deputy mayor. Cathcart was a longtime councillor and reeve who was defeated in 2010 during sweeping change that saw four of five incumbents tossed out, an extremely rare event in municipal politics.

As reeve he was controversial and colourful, something of a predecessor to the Doug Ford/Rob Ford model of politician. As one of two candidates, and not running against an incumbent, Cathcart could find himself back on a council still dominated by the group that helped defeat him eight years ago.

The field is set, although serious campaigning is still a month away.

It will be, in several aspects, an historic campaign.

One interesting sidelight ... is the potential return of Neal Cathcart