Four newcomers to Welland city council

Adam Moote, Lucas Spinosa, Bryan Green, Graham Speck new names in council chambers

Welland will see a mix of new faces and incumbents at the council table for the next years.

Incumbent Grimaldi and newcomer Adam Moote were the winners in Ward 1, where the top issues were absentee landlords, infrastructure, health care, fixing sidewalks, taxes and taking care of water rates. Other candidates in the ward included Tom Bacolini, Robin Comtois, Shirley Cordiner, Ryan Huckla, and Holly Syer

Jobs, economic growth, promotion of the recreational canal, infrastructure and spending wisely were the main issues for Ward 2, where incumbents David McLeod and Leo Van Vliet were returned. Also running were Serge Daoust, Debi Katsma and Brad Ulch.

Newcomer Lucas Spinosa and incumbent John Chiocchio were elected in Ward 3, where the issues were preparing the city for industrial and residential growth, creating jobs and keeping the city affordable. Also running were incumbent John Mastroianni, and newcomer and John Thomas McNall.

Ward 4 incumbent Tony DiMarco and newcomer Bryan Green beat out Phil Gladman, Maria Lallouet, Melissa McGlashan and Charles Owen for the two seats. Issues for the candidates included infrastructure, keeping things affordable for senior citizens, responsible budgets and building a strong community.

Newcomer Graham Speck and incumbent Claudette Richard took the two Ward 5 seats where reducing taxes and debt, improving infrastructure and cutting back spending were some of the issues raised. The two beat out Niki Ann Brideau, Ken Leblanc, Leslie Robichaud, and Devin Paul James St. Jean.

As of deadline, the Ward 6 race was still close with incumbent Bonnie Fokkens in the lead, with fellow incumbent Jim Larouche appearing to edge out Mike Konderka. Also running were Jamie Lee, and James Takeo.