Final days see flurry of mayoral hopefuls

Fear not, residents of Markham and Vaughan. You will have a mayor after all.

Earlier this week, just days before the deadline to register for October’s municipal election, the Star discovered that no one had registered to run for mayor in Markham and Vaughan, including the current mayors, Frank Scarpitti and Maurizio Bevilacqua.

But by the deadline Friday, there were a number of mayoral hopefuls registered for the positions in both cities, enough to give residents of the two suburban cities reassurance that they wouldn’t be leaderless for the next four years.

Both Scarpitti and Bevilacqua registered Thursday afternoon — after sparking speculation that their late entry into the game was because they were considering a run for regional chair or stepping down altogether.

But Scarpitti, who has been mayor since 2006, says he has always been committed to Markham.

“At the end of the day, after careful consideration, it was really about where I could have the greatest impact over the next four years,” said Scarpitti, who has four mayoral hopefuls running against him. “I will continue to be a strong voice for the region.”

There are three candidates registered to run for the mayor’s seat in Vaughan, including Bevilacqua, who has been mayor since 2010.