Hook Running For Reeve in AH, Hannigan The Third Candidate For Mayor in NF

It was a more active week in terms of candidates submitting their nominations for election, as the deadline is just over a week away.

There are now enough candidates throughout South, Central and North Frontenac and Addington Highlands to fill all available seats.

If an election were held as of this writing (Tuesday, August 11) the council members in both Addington Highlands and North Frontenac, and in three of the four wards in South Frontenac, would all be acclaimed, and residents in those locations would only be voting for Mayor or Reeve. All four Central Frontenac wards are already being contested, as is Storrington District in South Frontenac.

There will be contested elections, however, for the top job (reeve or mayor) in all four jurisdictions.

In Addington Highlands, former Reeve and current Deputy Reeve Ken Hook joined the race late last week. He is running against another current member of council, Kirby Thompson. Tony Fritsch, who became Reeve late last year after the passing of Henry Hogg, is not running.

Hook served as deputy reeve and reeve between 2002 and 2007. He did not seek re-election and remained off council for about a decade before returning as a councillor from Ward 2 in 2018.

In North Frontenac, it is now a three-way race. Art Hannigan, who lives in Snow Road, submitted his nomination for mayor late last week. He is challenging both the incumbent Mayor Gerry Lichty, and Kelly Willis. Neither Hannigan, nor Willis, have council experience in North Frontenac.

Also last week, Rob Lesperance became a candidate in Ward 2 (Clarendon-Miller) joining incumbent Roy Huetl. There are three incumbents seeking re-election in North Frontenac; Huetl, Fred Fowler (Ward 3, Palmerston Canonto) and Mike Hage (Ward 1 – Barrie) along with three new candidates; Lesperance, Katie Surra (Ward 3) and Cyndy Bonello (Ward 1).

There was no change in Central Frontenac this week, except in the race for Limestone District School Board Rep. Karen McGregor, current chair of the board, is seeking a fourth term as the representative for Central and North Frontenac and Addington Highlands. She is the only candidate thus far.

There have been no new candidates in South Frontenac in over a month, since Gord Boulton entered the race on July 7, to challenge long term incumbents Ron Sleeth and Norm Roberts, in Storrington District.

All of the incumbents in South Frontenac are seeking re-election.

Mayor Ron Vandewal is being challenged by former Councillor Alan Revill and new candidate, Stephen Leonard.

The Frontenac News is preparing for the election. We will be holding all-candidate meetings in all contested wards or districts, and publishing candidate profiles in each township, in late September and early October. Although election day is officially October 26, online and telephone voting starts on October 16