Mayoralty elections are underway in Frontenac County, quietly.

Jeff Green | Jun 12, 2014

by Jeff Green

If you thought the provincial election was fun, get ready for a real blast.

While in a few local townships candidates have been pretty coy about declaring themselves, likely leaving it until near the September deadline, most of the wards in South and Central Frontenac are already being contested.

As far as mayoralty races are concerned, it looks as if there will be contests in all Frontenac County jurisdictions.

In North Frontenac there is only one candidate thus far, Claudio Valentini, a Granite Ridge Education Centre teacher and the owner of Tomvale Airport on Road 506. However Mayor Bud Clayton, who said at the beginning of the year that he was leaning towards not running, is now reconsidering and said he will make his intentions known sooner rather than later. There are no other candidates for council in any of the three North Frontenac wards at this time, although Councilor John Inglis has indicated that he intends to run again.

In Central Frontenac, two-time incumbent and three-time county warden Janet Gutowski is being challenged by another former Frontenac County warden, Frances Smith, a long-time member of council and former reeve of Oso Township. The two women make up an exclusive club as women who have been county wardens, a position that has been held by men at least 90% of the time over the 149-year history of the county.

In South Frontenac, with incumbent Gary Davison out of the race, two councilors from the same district, Allan McPhail and Ron Vandewal from Loughborough are running for mayor, as is John McEwen from Verona.

In Frontenac Islands one-term mayor, Dennis Doyle, is running for re-election as is Mike Bromley, a sign maker from Wolfe Island. Just like its bookend township North Frontenac, there are no candidates thus far for the Wolfe or Howe Island wards in Frontenac Islands.

Although Ron Vandewal and Allan McPhail have both attended Frontenac County Council meetings and have stepped up their presence at public events, there has been little in the way of electioneering in Frontenac County thus far. While candidates may show up at lake association meetings and public events this summer when they might not otherwise, the election will not enter into anything resembling a campaign until late September.

The municipal election takes place on October 25.

Let’s hope it is the only other election in Ontario this year after the votes are tallied tonight in the too-tight to call provincial election.