Perth mayor seeks NDP nomination

Jeff Green | May 14, 2015

John Fenik, who has been the mayor of the Town of Perth since 2006, and was acclaimed to the position during the last two elections, will be a familiar face in Frontenac County this summer and into the fall as the expected federal election date nears. On Monday, he announced that he will be seeking the nomination to be the NDP candidate in the new federal riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.

Until recently, Fenick was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

“I believe our nation is at a critical crossroad,” Fenik said. “I have long been aligned with the Liberal Party, but I’ve decided to put my name forward to become the NDP candidate,” he said in announcing his candidacy. “I had considered running for the Liberals in the past,” he said in a telephone interview with the News. “but over time I've been increasingly concerned with Mr. Trudeau's poor judgement. I have been speaking with some members of the NDP in recent months, and I have been following Thomas Mulcair for a few years. He has the abililty and the vision to lead the country.”

The new federal riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston includes about two-thirds of the soon to be former riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, which has been represented by Scott Reid of the Conservative Party since it was formed just prior to the 2004 election. The new sections of the riding, the Township of Mississippi Mills at the northeast corner and rural Kingston north of Hwy. 401 may be better territory for Liberals, but Scott Reid is the acknowledged favourite to bring home the new riding for the Conservative Party.

The Liberal candidate is Phillippe Archambault, who lives near Inverary.

Over the four elections since 2004, Reid has increased his vote each time, reaching 57% in 2011.

At the same time, Liberal Party fortunes in the riding have been sliding. In 2004, Larry McCormick, who at that time was a sitting MP from a former riding that had been swallowed by the LFL&A riding, received 30% of the vote. By 2011, Dave Remington polled only 16% for the Liberals. The NDP finished in second place in the riding in 2011 for the first time with 20% of the vote, riding the Jack Layton orange wave.

John Fenik said he considers Scott Reid a friend, whom he has been working with in his role as mayor of Perth and a Lanark County Council member for ten years. He also said he knows and respects Phillipe Archambault, and realises that he has a tough hill to climb in the new riding.

He said his decision to run for the NDP has to do with his view of the needs of the country at this time.

“If the Conservatives under Stephen Harper form a government for five more years, at the end of that term our country will be unrecognisable. I have decided to pursue the path to Parliament Hill because I sincerely believe that as a New Democrat I can make a positive difference.

“My political and work experience has exposed me to the issues faced by the people of this riding, and I want to do something to address these problems on a larger scale. I think the NDP is in the best position to be able to do this.” he said.

John Fenik began his working career with the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa and worked in children's protective services in Smiths Falls and Lanark County before taking a job with the Upper Canada District School Board in 2007 as a special services counsellor. He is planning to take a leave of absence from his postion as mayor of Perth if he secures the nomination, and will be retiring from the Upper Canada District School Board this June.

The NDP nomination meeting is set for Saturday, May 30 at the Crystal Palace in Perth. At this time, John Fenik is the only declared candidate.