The race is on as nominations close for October’s municipal election
WATERLOO REGION — The large number of unopposed candidates in this fall’s municipal election deprives voters of choices and weakens political accountability, a political scientist says.
Robert Williams, a professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo, said he’s “quite un- easy” about the number of candidates who will get a seat on local councils without having to face an opponent or defend their views.
“Several people are going to win without having to put their record on the line, without having to go to the community with your message. You’re getting a free pass.”
Seven politicians will be able to assume their seats on township councils in the region, simply by virtue of having put forward their names. That lack of compe-
hurts the democratic process, Williams says.
“I’m quite uneasy about the lack of candidates in a number of cases,” he said. “When there is a lack of interest (in running) we don’t necessarily get good, lively, competitive races.”
Fully half of the members of Woolwich council — including Mayor Sandy Shantz — will sit for the next four years without having had to defend their positions or win any sort of mandate from voters. Voters in Ward 3 will have no say in the makeup of the township council since the two incumbents, Murray Martin and Larry Shantz, faced no opponents for the two council seats representing the ward.
As well, two councillors in Wellesley, one in Wilmot — Cheryl Gordijk, who has no previous council experience — and one in North Dumfries, will also occupy council seats without having to compete for the position.
Friday was the deadline for people to put their names forward as candidates in the Oct. 22 municipal election.
Despite the many acclamations, there will still be a number of lively contests in the region.
One of the most-watched races will be for regional chair, a post Ken Seiling is leaving after holding it for 33 years. The regional chair is the top elected official in the region, represents about 580,000 people, and oversees a staff of about 4,200 and an annual budget of $1.5 billion.
Four people are running for the job: Jan d’Ailly served two terms on Waterloo city council before coming second in the 2014 mayoral race; Rob Deutschmann was mayor of North Dumfries from 2010 to 2014; Karen Redman is a regional councillor representing Kitchener and a former MP; and Jay Aissa, a business owner and vocal opponent of the LRT who ran against Seiling in 2014, also registered as a candidate on Thursday.
A couple of other races feature former provincial politicians who have high local profiles. In Cambridge, former Liberal cabinet minister Kathryn McGarry hopes to unseat Doug Craig, who is seeking a sixth term as mayor. Lawyer and mediator Randy Carter is also running for the mayor’s job.
Former Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris is one of eight people, including former public school board chair Ted Martin, running to be one of four Kitchener members of Waterloo Region council. Three of the nine are incumbents, but Redman’s run for regional chair means there will be at least one new face representing Kitchener at the region.
Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky is seeking a second term and has two other contenders for the job: real estate broker Chris Kolednik and Kelly Steiss, who supervises a Kitchener community centre.
In Kitchener, Mayor Berry Vrbanovic is seeking a second term. He’s opposed by Narine Dat Sookram, a social service worker at Lutherwood and longtime community volunteer, and Myron Steinman, a community worker with Thresholds Homes and Supports.
The mayors of North Dumfries, Wellesley and Wilmot also face challenges.
A new factor in this year’s election is the advent of a group called Namaste Debate, which is encouraging Indo-Canadians to run and vote in elections, intition cluding the fall municipal vote. It has three candidates vying for jobs as Kitchener councillors.
Incumbency generally confers a huge advantage in municipal elections, where the lack of parties means voters rely heavily on name recognition to make their choice. Studies have shown incumbents in large cities in Ontario are re-elected about 90 per cent of the time.
But it’s guaranteed there will be at least a few new faces in local governments this fall, as some incumbents aren’t running again.
With Kitchener councillors Frank Etherington and Yvonne Fernandes opting not to run again, there will be at least two newcomers on Kitchener council, with five candidates running for each of those seats.
And 14 candidates are vying for the seats in wards 1, 2 and 7 in Waterloo, where current councillors aren’t running again.
A complete list of municipal candidates is available at therecord.com.