Municipal Election 2010 Results Addington Highlands Township

Jeff Green | Oct 28, 2010

Addington Highlands – Incumbents lose in Ward 1

By Jeff Green

Most of the candidates for council in Addington Highlands, along with acclaimed Reeve Henry Hogg, had gathered in the council chambers at the Flinton Rec. Centre by 8 p.m. on Monday night, when the polls were supposed to close.

The door to the council chambers was closed, so as not to interfere with the bingo that was going on next door. Then the news came that the polls were remaining open for an extra hour, setting up an hour of polite chat as candidates waited to find out what their fate would be, with the only one who was truly relaxed being Henry Hogg.

When the vote came in shortly after 9 it revealed that voters in Ward 1 (Denbigh) wanted a change. Two new candidates, Adam Snider (404 votes) and Tony Fritsch (343 votes), won spots, with incumbents Janice Kerr (270 votes) and Eythel Grant (184 votes) both going down to defeat. Yvonne Rosein (115 votes) rounded out the field.

Bill Cox, a former councilor, will be back on council in Ward 2 (465 votes) and he will join the only incumbent councilor to be returning, Helen Yanch (365 votes). The other incumbent, Louise Scott, did not run (Scott was in the other room playing bingo). Mary Ann Tryon (328 votes) and Larry Pealow (314 votes) were the other candidates in Ward 2.

Reeve

Henry Hogg Acclaimed

Ward 1 Denbigh

Adam Snider             404

Paul Fritsch               343     

Janice Kerr                  270

Eythel Grant                180

Ward 2 Kaladar

Bill Cox                       465

Helen Yanch               360

Mary Ann Tryon           328

Larry Pealow                314

Central  Frontenac Township

Election Night in Central Frontenac

by Julie Druker and Jeff Green

Tension gathered as the clock ticked down in Oso Hall on election night and the seats quickly filled before the first poll was tallied and posted on the screen.

The majority of candidates running were present and most of them either stood, paced or talked with supporters, colleagues, friends and family members with their heads oriented to the front screen, allowing for a quick glance from time to time.

The first results came in at around 10:30pm and defined certain leads that would remain until the bitter end roughly one hour later.

Frances Smith in Oso ward and Tom Dewey in Kennebec ward both took early leads and kept them till the very end. In the mayoral race after the first poll the three candidates were separated by roughly 300 votes each, with Janet Gutowski in the lead, followed by Logan Murray and Douglas Lee.

The second set of results saw Logan Murray closing the gap with Janet Gutowski, but only slightly. Soon afterwards, the game appeared over when the next set of results saw Gutowski pull ahead with a total of 1459 votes, with Murray next with 985 and Lee in third with 361.

The final tally was Gutowski 1713, Murray 1161 and Lee 434.

Janet Gutowski (photo left) was thrilled.

“I'm very happy about it and am very pleased with the people who stood by me and supported me and I'm looking forward to a very bright future for the area.”

As far as the numbers went she said, “A lot of people got out and voted which is great and I have to think that democracy is always right.” She added with a laugh ”and for me in particular it worked out rather well.”

Logan Murray said, “I'm definitely disappointed but people get the government that they elect.” He continued on in a more positive note, saying, “I gave it my best shot and talked to between 2000 and 2500 people of which at least 1500 told me I had their support.”

Will he give it another shot?

“Definitely not,” he said, “Even if I'd won this one I wouldn't have run again.”

Gutowski will be joined by five returning and three new councilors.

In Kennebec, Jeff Matson (552 votes) was returned, and he will be joined by Tom Dewey (664), who replaces Gary Smith. Smith did not seek re-election. Other candidates in Kennebec were Tom Waller (275 votes) and Britian Wilson (111 votes).

In Olden ward, incumbents John Purdon (439 votes) and Norm Guntensperger (410 votes) will both be sitting on council again, and Justin Gray (216 votes) finished in third place.

In Oso ward, Frances Smith (615) was the most popular candidate. Wayne Millar (414 votes) won the seat that was vacated by long-time council member Bob Harvey. Carol Coupland (298 votes) and Rick Greenstreet (259 votes) rounded out the field.

Finally, Hinchinbrooke ward was where one-term incumbent Philip Smith went down to defeat. Smith (440 votes) finished third, behind Heather Fox (499) and returning incumbent Bill Snyder (515), who will add another term to his 29-year council career.

Mayor

Janet Gutowski   1713

Logan Murray        1161

Douglas Lee            434

Councillor Ward 1

Tom Dewey            664

Jeff Matson            521

Tom Waller               275

Britian Wilson          111

Councillor Ward 2

John Purdon                439

Norm Guntensperger  410

Justin Gray                     216

Councillor Ward 3

Frances Smith               615

Wayne Millar                  414  

Carol Coupland               298

Rick Greenstreet             259

Councillor Ward 4

Bill Snyder                      553

Heather Fox                    499

Philip Smith                      440

Lanark Highlands Township

Short and sweet in Tay Valley

Incumbent Roxanne Darling (443 votes) and former councilor Mark Burnham (328 votes) were elected to Tay Valley Council from South Sherbrooke ward. Dave Campbell, (213 votes) finished in third place. All other candidates in Tay Valley were acclaimed, including Reeve Keith Kerr and Deputy Reeve Susan Freeman. The only other ballot in the Tay Valley election was for Upper Canada District School Board Trustee. In Tay Valley, Stephen Day (604 votes) received more votes than the incumbent Bill MacPherson (457) but the election took place throughout Lanark County, and in the overall vote, MacPherson was returned to the board by a vote of 3426 to 2920.

Mayor

Peter Mclaren                1882

Bob Fletcher                   1007

Cory Donaldson                412

Ryta Dulmage                   294

Ward 6

Brian Stewart                     516

JoAnne Wheeler                  308

School Board Trustee Lanark and Tay Valley Upper Canada District School Board

Bill Macpherson               3426

Stephen Day                      2920

(Note – in Tay Valley - Day  604 Macpherson  457 – In Lanark Highlands -  Day 811   Macpherson  1382)

North Frontenac Township

Clayton beats Beam in North Frontenac

By Jeff Green

When North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire announced he was not going to seek re-election, the current deputy mayor, Jim Beam, a one-term councilor, seemed to have a strong chance at the job. Beam announced his candidacy early in the year, and campaigned all summer.

It was only as the nomination deadline was approaching that Bud Clayton (photo left), who served two terms on council (2001-2006) and then ran for mayor and lost to Maguire in 2006, decided to throw his hat into the ring. During the campaign period the battle between the two men took a bitter tone, leading up to an exchange at the final all-candidates’ meeting in Cloyne. Bud Clayton had been running a campaign based on his leadership skills and experience, and at his final opportunity to speak, Beam effectively called Clayton yesterday’s leader. “He talks about leadership in the past,” Beam said, “whereas I’m providing leadership right now and can provide it tomorrow.”

During the campaign Jim Beam had talked about the level of commitment he has shown as deputy mayor, citing the example of the Clarendon Central School chili cook off. “So he was at the chili cook-off,” Clayton scoffed after Beam had made his comments about leadership. “What does that have to do with providing good government?”

Flash forward to the Clarendon/Miller Hall in Plevna on Monday night. By 10 p.m. there were three or four euchre tables going. Bud Clayton was sitting at one end of a long table, and Jim Beam’s wife Vickie and his daughter were sitting a few seats over. Jim Beam was at the township office working as a scrutineer. Of the 30 or so people in attendance, the majority were candidates or candidates’ family members. And, a full two hours after the polls had closed, not a single result had come in.

Finally the phone rang and the results of the first of seven polls was delivered by Township Clerk and Chief Returning Officer Brenda Defosse. Clayton had a sizeable lead, about 200 votes. At more or less regular intervals the phone kept ringing and the numbers came in. Within an hour the lead had changed hands a couple times as votes from across the township, including Jim Beam’s home district in the Ompah/Snow Road area, came in. Sometime after 11:15 Jim Beam arrived at the Hall, his scrutineering responsibilities having been completed. At this point the two candidates had about 900 votes each, and it was unclear which ward the final results were going to come from. Clayton seemed to be winning in Ward 3, Barrie Ward, which has the largest population, while Beam was cleaning up in his home ward. In Ward 2, the results had been mixed.

Then the phone rang. Final results: Clayton 1170, Beam 1061.

In the races for council, the Ward 3 contest for the second seat was a see-saw battle between Shawn Gray and the incumbent Wayne Good, with the fourth candidate Lorraine Garey also gaining with each set of results. In the end Wayne Good (420 votes) held on to his seat over Shawn Gray (387 votes) and Lorraine Garey (352 votes). Fred Perry (577 votes) topped all vote getters in Ward 3.

In Ward 2, newcomer Gerry Martin (420 votes) and incumbent Lonnie Watkins (404 votes) will sit on the new council. The other incumbent Elaine Gunsinger (255 votes) fell short, as did Karin Ferguson-Reynolds (213 votes) and Paul Thiel (61 votes).

Finally, in Ward 1, two new councilors were elected. John Inglis received the most support (355 votes). He will be joined by former councilor Betty Hunter (249 votes). Incumbent Bob Olmstead (184 votes) lost out, as did Robin Riddell (126 votes).

When the new council is sworn in on December 1, only three of the seven members of the current council will be sitting around the table.

When interviewed the day after the election, Mayor-elect Clayton said he is “optimistic that council can work well together as a team.” He said he would be meeting with each of the members of the new council “to find out what they heard going door to door during the campaign and to find out what their strengths are.” He said he would likely be looking to maintain and strengthen the committee structure on council.

Mayor

Bud Clayton  1170

Jim Beam        1061

Councillor Ward 1

John Inglis        355

Betty Hunter      249

Bob Olmstead     184

Robin Riddell       126

Councillor Ward 2

Gerry Martin                         552

Lonnie Watkins                    468

Elaine Gunsinger                   255

Karin Ferguson – Reynolds   213

Paul Thiel                                 61

Councillor Ward 3

Fred Perry                              577

Wayne Good                          420

Shawn Gray                            387

Larraine Garey                        352

South Frontenac Township By Wilma Kenny and Jeff Green

Election night this year in South Frontenac lacked the drama of the old chalkboard days, with results shifting throughout the evening as the polls came in. However, an anxious crowd of candidates, supporters and political junkies at the township hall did have the suspense of having to wait an extra hour for the results, due to a slow-down in the system. According to Chief Election Officer Wayne Orr, this problem wasn’t peculiar to South Frontenac. Computer voting throughout portions of Eastern Ontario was brought to a crawl by the heavy influx of last-minute voters. As a result, the poll was kept open until 9 pm, and results were published a few minutes later.

It turned out be a pretty good night for the incumbents, in particular Mayor Gary Davison (photo left). Davison received 4460 votes, a comfortable margin over his opponent John Fillion, who received 2979 votes.

The campaign centred on some questions about direction that had dogged South Frontenac Council for the past four years. During the campaign, John Fillion charged that the amalgamation of township services led by Mayor Davison had been a mistake, and also questioned why council had rejected the 0% budget increase that he had proposed in 2010.

In response, Davison supported the 1.92% increase in the 2010 budget as “the cost of doing business”, defended the amalgamation project, and talked about the success the township has had in obtaining infrastructure grants for bridge work, and a new library and ambulance base.

“I feel re-charged by the confidence that people have placed in me to carry on in the way we have been working,” Davison said when contacted by phone on Tuesday (Oct. 26), “and it looks to me like we will have a very good council moving forward.”

Davison said Council would be faced with a major challenge “maintaining the infrastructure and programs that we have now without some added assistance from senior levels of government.

“They loaded us up with all sorts of added responsibilities and we are going to have to work hard to convince them they need to come through with added support - or else we are going to have a lot of trouble keeping taxes from going up and up.”

There will be some new faces at the council table in Sydenham starting on December 1. In Bedford District, incumbent Del Stowe (715 votes) will be joined by newcomer Mark Tinlin (821 votes). Tinlin is replacing David Hahn who did not seek re-election. The two incumbents in Loughborough District, Ron Vandewal (1240 votes) and Allan McPhail (969 votes) were re-elected, while in Storrington incumbent Larry York (1008 votes) will be joined by first-time councilor Cam Naish (1305 votes). Naish will take the seat that was vacated by John Fillion.

Portland District saw the only incumbent go down to defeat. One-term incumbent Jim Hicks (708 votes) lost out to long-time councilor Bill Robinson (842 votes) and John McDougall, a popular community activist from Verona who received the most votes of any council candidate in the township (1305 votes).

Another incumbent who did not fare well was the Limestone District School Board Trustee from South Frontenac, Barb McLaren (2747 votes), who was defeated by Suzanne Ruttan (3129 votes).

Mayor

Gary Davison   4460

John Fillion        2979

Councillor, Bedford District

Del Stowe            715

Mark Tinlin          821

Pat Barr                             662

Councillor, Loughborough District

Ron Vandewal     1240

Alan McPhail          969

Fran Willes               883

Randy Ferguson      688

Councillor, Portland District

John McDougall   1309

Bill Robinson          842

Jim Hicks                708

Doug Lovegrove                 659

Councillor, Storrington District

Cam Naish            1305

Larry York             1008

Peter Roos             932

Wayne Clancy        856

Limestone District School Board

Suzanne Ruttan          3129

Barb Mclaren               2747

Tay Valley Township

In Ward 6 of Lanark Highlands, incumbent Brian Stewart (516 votes) defeated challenger Joanne Wheeler (308 votes). In the Lanark Highlands mayoralty race, incumbent Bob Fletcher (1008 votes) lost out to Peter McLaren (1882 votes)Reeve

Keith Kerr acclaimed

Deputy Reeve

Susan Freeman - acclaimed

Councillor  - South Sherbrooke

Roxanne Darling        443

Mark Burnham           328

Dave Campbell          213