Contest for South Frontenac Mayor As Candidate Nominations Trickle In

Since the start of a nearly 4 month nomination window for the 2026 Ontario municipal elections on May 1st, only a few people have stepped forward so far.

There are candidates for mayor in the three Frontenac townships that we cover at the Frontenac News. In Central Frontenac, Nicki Gowdy was quick off the mark, and brought in her nomination papers on May 1st, and she is currently the only candidate for mayor in Central Frontenac. Former Councillor Brent Cameron is the only other one in Central Frontenac, seeking to return to council in one of the two Ward 4 (Hinchinbrooke) spots. Cameron will face only 1 incumbent at most this time around, since one of the incumbents from Ward 4 is Nicki Gowdy. Mayor Frances Smith is not running for re-election in Central Frontenac.

North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty is seeking a second term, and incumbent Ward 2 Councillor Roy Huetl in (Clarendon and Miller) is seeking to retain his council spot. Katie Surra is a new candidate for council in Ward 3 (Palmerson-Canonto).

In South Frontenac there will be an election for mayor. As indicated earlier, three term Mayor Ron Vanewal is seeking a 4th four-year stint, and former councillor, and a candidate for mayor in 2022, Alan Revill, has also entered the race.

Five of the eight incumbents on council are also seeking re-election; Norm Roberts in Storrington district, Randy Ruttan and Scott Trueman in Loughborough district, Ray Leonard in Portland district, and Steve Pegram in Bedford district.

There are no candidates registered as of yet in Addington Highlands.

And, based on a check of their website, it appears that there are no candidates as of yet in Frontenac Islands, either.

Over in Tay Valley, current council member Marilyn Thomas is running for mayor and current Councillor Greg Hallam is running for deputy mayor.

In Stone Mills, Rob Fenwick is running for re-election as deputy mayor, and current Councillor Shari Milligan is running for mayor this time around.

Finally, the only declared candidate thus far in Westport is Marty Crapper, who is running to retain his council seat.

Nominations are posted by the townships as they come in, on their official websites. To find them look to the elections tab on the sites. The nominations are listed as unofficial when they are submitted, and as official once they are vetted and confirmed by the returning officer, a township staff member

(The print version of this article mistakenly listed Katie Surra as a candidate in Ward 1 of North Frontenac.)