Stouffville municipal election features familial ties
Controversial Mayor Altmann registers for fall vote — and so does his wife, Jenny
The controversial mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville — who is still barred from talking to town staff, or entering town facilities except to attend council meetings — has officially put his name into the running again for the town’s top job.
Justin Altmann, who is serving out sanctions imposed on him by fellow councillors in March after he failed to apologize for creating a bizarre wall of photos in his office washroom, officially registered for the mayoral race on Tuesday. His wife, Jenny, is also running for a council position in Ward 5, even though she doesn’t live in the ward.
The couple, who recently had a baby, invited the entire town to their public wedding in 2016.
The two are among a slate of candidates who registered this week, after Altmann sent out an “urgent” message to residents on social media telling them “it is time to take back our home town” and asking them to attend a meeting to sign documentation that would allow the candidates to register.
“It is time to put our community first once again as a whole and not simply cater to specific corporations or individuals,” said Altmann in the message. “In the air there is a strong force that is pushing for a new council and the winds of change are upon us.”
While rare, it’s not against the rules of the Municipal Act for a husband-wife team to run for council together.
“There is nothing ... that would prevent like-minded candidates from campaigning on the same platform or identifying themselves as a group or slate. However, each candidate must keep their campaign finances separate and any joint expenses (for example, signs with two candidates’ names on them) must be divided between the campaigns,” said Conrad Spezowka, spokesman for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
In 1988, long-time North York mayor Mel Lastman won his eighth mayoral bid, while his wife Marilyn ran for city council that year but lost. In 2003, Oshawa councillor Cathy Clarke was up for re-election when her husband Michael ran for mayor, and lost.
The candidates on Altmann’s slate include a number of residents known to be supporters of the mayor, and incumbent Ward 6 Councillor Rob Hargrave, who has been an advocate for of the mayor throughout the contentious council term. Hargrave was the only councillor to vote against imposing sanctions on the mayor at the March council meeting.
This is despite the mayor’s refusal to apologize for creating a CSI-style wall, that an ethics probe found constituted “workplace harassment.”
Altmann did not immediately respond to questions about his re-election bid when contacted Wednesday.
Altmann already has some competition for the mayor’s seat. Among those running for mayor are local resident Anand Daté, and current Ward 5 Councillor Iain Lovatt.
Lovatt says it’s time for a change in Stouffville.
“We have had challenges, and our town needs a leader with a proven track record who can bring unity and consensus back to council and move us forward,” said Lovatt. “We’ve all seen the way our town’s brand has become tarnished with the media coverage over the last term. The residents of Whitchurch-Stouffville did not ask for this and deserve better,” he said.
He says instead of just dealing with controversies, the mayor should be working to deal with the staffing exodus in the town, and to come up with a strategic plan — which he says wasn’t developed during the current term.
Lovatt says it is concerning that the mayor has surrounded himself with people known to be his supporters. “You need diversity in thought in council. Will they represent the interest of their constituents, before they represent the interests the mayor? Only time will tell. But that’s just not democracy.”