North Frontenac Election Profiles
We continue our municipal election this week with profiles of the ten candidates who are seeking office in North Frontenac.
There are three candidates for Mayor in the township. The incumbent Gerry Lichty is facing challengers Kelly Willis and Art Hannigan. Neither Willis nor Hannigan have any experience in municipal governance, but North Frontenac voters have a history of electing mayors who are fresh to the local political scene. Gerry Lichty had no municipal experience when he defeated incumbent Ron Higgins in 2022. Higgins was also a newcomer to municipal politics when he was first elected in 2014, although voters had no choice but to choose an inexperienced politician in that case because Higgin’s only his opponent, Claudio Valentini, was also new to politics.
As the profiles that start on page 2 of this paper demonstrate, each of the three candidates has a distinctly different perspective on local politics, and the direction they want to take council, and the township, over the next four years.
As for the race for council, there are four candidates for the two Ward 1 (Barrie) council spots. If elected for the 6th time, Wayne Good will be the longest serving member of the incoming council. The other incumbent who is running is Michael Hage, who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 and was appointed to council earlier this year to replace Stephanie Regent. Cyndy Bonello, a resort owner, and retiree Gwen Glover are the two newcomers
In Ward 2, there are 3 candidates for two spots. Roy Huetl is the one incumbent who is running. Vernon Hermer is not seeking re-election. Rob Lesperance, a contractor, and Wayne Manion, a semi-retired heavy equipment operator, are the other two candidates.
In Ward 3, there is no election this time around . Two term incumbent Fred Fowler has been acclaimed for a third term, and lucky newcomer Katie Surra has been acclaimed to council, replacing John Inglis, who is not running again.
Depending on the mood of voters, the new North Frontenac could contain as many as five out of the seven members of the current council, or as few as one.
All candidates’ meetings in North Frontenac are coming up. The first is slated for Friday of this week, October 2, at the Barrie Hall in Cloyne (Ward 1), and the second is on Thursday, October 8 at the Clar-Mil Hall in Plevna. The meetings both start at 7pm, and are sponsored and presented by the Frontenac News.
In next week’s edition, our focus is on two townships, South Frontenac and Addington Highlands
In South Frontenac, we will publish profiles of the three candidates running for Mayor (Ron Vandewal , Alan Revill, and Steven Leonard, as well as the three candidates are vying for two Storrington District council positions. Ron Sleeth, Norm Roberts and Doug Boulton. The incumbents in the three other districts that make up the township (Loughborough, Portland and Bedford) have all been acclaimed and are will be returning to council.
There is an all-mayoralty candidates meeting scheduled for the Verona Lions Hall on Wednesday, October 7, for the benefit of voters in Loughborough, Portland and Bedford. A meeting in Storrington District has already taken place.
In Addington Highlands, Ken Hook has been acclaimed as Reeve, and Incumbent Helen Yanch and first-time candidate Rodger Holden have both been acclaimed in Ward 2. We will have profiles of the four candidates who are seeking the two ward 1 positions; incumbents Kirby Thompson and Maurice Leveille, and challengers Royce Rosenblath and David Graham
Click Below For Candidate Profiles
