Brown makes Brampton bid
Move comes as premier cancels Muskoka, Peel, York, Niagara elections
Former provincial PC leader makes last-minute jump into mayoral race,
With only minutes to spare before the deadline to run for elected office in October, former PC leader Patrick Brown put in his name for mayor of Brampton.
It was an unexpected move that came as a response to Premier Doug Ford’s decision to cancel elections for regional chairs in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka in October. Patrick Brown, who had signed up to take part in Peel’s first election for chair earlier this month, said he was forced to make the last-minute jump to the mayoral race after hearing the news late Thursday night.
“I think everyone was shocked the government took this dramatic move. I don’t think anyone could have predicted an election would be cancelled midway through,” he said, while standing in line to register for mayor. “My preference is always democracy and public participation over appointment,” he said, adding that he’s been pushing for Peel to get a fair deal from the province, especially for infrastructure, health care and finding ways to make the region safer, since he registered to run this month.
For the first time this year, residents of Peel and York regions were going to join their counterparts in Halton and Durham regions, who had already successfully ventured years ago into the democratic world of voting for their regional chair. Regional councils are made up of regional councillors elected in a general election and the mayors of the municipalities. For years, it has been up to these elected officials to appoint a chair.
But in 2016, the province gave voters the right to vote for the position. The chair’s job is akin to being CEO of the municipality, and includes decisionmaking power on issues such as tax increases, the police budget and balancing the billion-dollar budgets. It also comes with a hefty salary of over $200,000.
According to sources, after news broke that Ford was derailing his hopes of running for Peel Region chair, Brown’s team determined that taking on Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey was the best course.
Brown said he spoke with former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion and members of former premier Bill Davis’ family before making his decision.
Brown said he has long-standing ties to Brampton, and owns a residence in the city. His provincial Progressive Conservative leadership campaign was based there and his father has practised law for over 40 years in the city. He said he’s returned to practising law in the city since he left the PC party.
In a statement, Jeffery said she welcomed Brown into the race, but questioned if he would be good for the city.
“We need stable, strong leadership and an ability to work with all levels of government, especially Queen’s Park,” Jeffrey said. “We don’t need chaos and someone who will continue fighting old political battles which will harm Brampton in the long run.”