Two more candidates enter crowded Ward 7 race
Two politically experienced candidates are joining the crowd running in the Ward 7 byelection.
Angelo Marignani, who has run unsuccessfully in Ward 7 dating back to 2010, and Jeewen Gill, a local Liberal organizer who ran provincially in 2013, have both declared their candidacy.
That brings the total number of candidates to 11, equalling the previous high in the 2013 Ward 7 byelection. And there’s still time for additional candidates to join the fray. The deadline to register is 2 p.m. on Friday.
The byelection is set for April 27, with advance polls operating April 17-18 at Forest Glade Arena.
Gill, who owns a local real estate firm, has made unsuccessful bids for the public school board in 2006, the provincial Windsor-tecumseh seat in 2013, and most recently lost the nomination to run federally in the riding in the 2019 election.
That nomination was won by former Ward 7 councillor Irek Kusmierczyk, whose victory on federal election night in October created the need for the local byelection.
On Wednesday, Gill said he’s running because he wants to serve the community and bring different and new ideas to the council table.
“I have a passion for helping people, from the day I came to this country in 1989,” said Gill, the current president of the Liberal provincial riding association in Windsor-tecumseh. He said he’s lived in Ward 7 for 20 years. It’s where his children attended school and where his business is based, he said.
Marignani, also a Ward 7 resident, is formally launching his campaign on Thursday in front of city hall.
A University of Windsor social science graduate, he lived and worked in Japan for eight years before returning to Windsor and starting Milk Coffee Bar downtown and operating it for 17 years. He currently works at Magna International’s Integram plant.
He finished second in Ward 7 voting in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 elections as well as the 2013 byelection.
In a statement, Marignani said his priorities for Ward 7 would be: developing great neighbourhoods with clean and safe parks; improving infrastructure including anti-flood measures to protect Ward 7 homes; and “putting taxpayers first.”
He described himself as a progressive independent who “belongs to no political party” and puts Windsor citizens first.
Meanwhile, Gill said his political connections would help the city in dealing with higher levels of government. He said the biggest issues for Ward 7 are infrastructure (anti-flood measures, roads, parks), public safety (concerns about house break-ins) and intersections that need improving to counter the high number of accidents.
The nine candidates already running are: Farah El-hajj, Albert Saba, Howard Weeks, Therese Papineau, Ernie Lamont, Michael Malott, Greg Lemay, Barbara Holland and Igor Dzaic.