Race is on for St. Catharines elections

The St. Catharines clerk’s office was bombarded with last-minute candidates registering their paperwork for the Oct. 22 municipal election on Friday.

Ten candidates signed up for city and regional councils and school boards before the 2 p.m. deadline, including former longtime MPP Jim Bradley.

The day was a frenzy because the office was also trying to clarify what the province’s announced plans to cancel the chair’s election meant for candidates.

Regional chair Alan Caslin was one of the 10 people who filed paperwork on Friday for regional council after the chair’s race was cancelled that morning.

“It was very tense because everybody was trying to connect and trying to understand what to do,” said Bonnie Nistico-Dunk, explaining the Premier’s press conference announcement focused on Toronto and left questions about the impact in Niagara. She said the province phoned the city in the afternoon which finally cleared up questions.

“You just want to give people the right information if they want to put their name forward and you don’t want to make a mistake on it. It was not clear until this phone message came,” Nistico-Dunk said.

“I think we’ve got everyone. I feel relief and now the real work starts.”

When the dust had settled, 31 candidates, including many new faces, were running for 12 ward seats. Twenty-three candidates are vying for six St. Catharines regional councillor seats.

St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik is joined by three other mayoral candidates on the ballot – Sonic Tattoo owner Johnny Tischler, retired businessman Richard Stephens and Tunde Soniregun.

Sendzik is seeking his second term as mayor.

“I don’t think there’s a candidate who’s going to give Walter a serious run, which is kind of what was expected,” said David Siegel, a political science professor at Brock University after the registrations closed.

Siegel said some of the races in St. Catharines for wards and regional council could prove interesting though.

All 11 currently serving city councillors are running in the October election.

Eight will try to keep their seats at city hall while another three – Mark Elliott, Sandie Bellows and Mike Britton -- are jumping into regional council politics.

The twelfth seat is currently vacant because Merritton Coun. Jennie Stevens was elected to Queen’s Park in June.

“There’s lots of people running for council and there are some empty seats on council so that’s going to be very interesting watching some of those council races,” Siegel said.

He added the regional race in particular is a crowded field.

Due to changes in the municipal act, candidates have had to register far earlier than the usual September deadline. They won’t be able to put up election signs until 60 days before the October 22 voting day, but can campaign if they want.

Seigel doesn’t think we’ll see heavy campaigning much before early September though.

“That’s when people come back from the cottage and they’re really to start thinking about these things.”

Mayor

• Walter Sendzik (i)

• Richard Stephens

• Tunde Soniregun

• Johnny Tischler

Ward 1 Merritton (2 elected)

• Kim Clifford

• Diane Foster

• Hayden Lawrence

• David Haywood (i)

• Lori Littleton

• Marta Liddiard

• Greg Miller

• Lesley Seaborne

Ward 2 St. Andrews (2 elected)

• Matt Harris (i)

• Joe Kushner (i)

• Emilio Raimondo

Ward 3 St. George’s (2 elected)

• Brody Longmuir

• Thomas Grundy

• Vicki-Lynn Smith

• Sal Sorrento (i)

• Kevin Townsend

Ward 4 St. Patrick’s (2 elected)

• Robin McPherson

• Karrie Porter

• Mat Siscoe (i)

Ward 5 Grantham (2 elected)

• Matthew Bastead

• Jeff Brooks

• Dawn Dodge

• Rob Gill

• Bill Phillips (i)

• Mark Stevens

• Dennis Van Meer

• Alan C. Ziemianin

Ward 6 Port Dalhousie (2 elected)

• Carlos Garcia (i)

• Wolfgang Guembel

• Bruce Williamson (i)

• Jeff Mackie

Regional Council (6 elected)

• Paul Allan

• Mo Al Jumaily

• Haley Bateman

• Sandie Bellows

• Mike Britton

• Jim Bradley

• Alan Caslin (i)

• George Darte

• Rob Depetris

• Kelly Edgar (i)

• Mark Elliott

• Lou Felice

• Peter Gill

• Brian Heit (i)

• Laura Ip

• Debbie MacGregor (i)

• Mary Margaret Murphy

• Tim Rigby (i)

• Frank Rupcic

• Emily Beth Spanton

• Len Stack

• Bob Szajkowski

• Bruce Timms (i)

English public school board (4 elected)

• Jennifer Ajandi (i)

• Kate Baggott

• Alex Bradnam

• Lora Campbell (i)

• Roberto Contreras

• Jonathan Fast (i)

• David Israelseon

• John B.G. Netherway

• Norman St. George

• Sumeth Tanyaovolasksna

• David Waddington

English separate school board: Ward 1 (1 elected)

• Rhianon Burkholder

• Patricia Vernal (i)

English separate school board: Wards 2 to 6 (2 elected)

• Dana Caroline Bayley

• Kathy Burtnik (i)

• Shonna Daly

• Jeremy Anthony Harb

• Larry Huibers

French separate school board (1 elected)

• Melinda Chartrand (i)

French public school board (1 elected)

• Veronique Emery

JULIE JOCSAK THE ST. CATHARINES STANDARD City Clerk, Bonnie Nistico-Dunk, left, and Rebecca Alfieri, elections co-ordinator for the legal and clerks services for the City of St. Catharines, are inundated during the final business hours following election submission deadlines at the St. Catharines Clerks Office on Friday.