New Names Join the Election Race

Oh yeah, there's still an election coming this fall! With the current transit lockout eating up much of the local news cycle, we stop for a minute to recognize new names, both original and familiar, who have registered their intention to take over from the current members of city council. Former city councillor Gary Walton and local raconteur Glen Tolhurst.

Walton, who served as a city councillor from 1991 to 2000 for Ward 2, ran in Ward 1 in 2010 and came in sixth place with 601 votes. This time he's running in Ward 4, where his competition so far includes former Ward 4 councillor Mike Salisbury and Upper Grand District School Board trustee Linda Busuttil. Neither of the current incumbents in Ward 2 is running for re-election; Cam Guthrie is running for mayor, and Gloria Kovach is retiring. Walton responded to the Politico questionnaire in the last election, and you can read his feedback here.

Tolhurst, meanwhile, is a regular contributer to GrassRoots Guelph, the local sane-planning/sensible-tomorrow advocacy group. Tolhurst will have his work cut out for him in a very busy race that includes incumbents Karl Wettstein and Todd Dennis, and upstarts Keith Poore and Mark MacKinnon.

As for the race so far, the only incumbents who have yet to declare their intentions for this fall's election are Ward 1 councillors Bob Bell and Jim Furfaro, and Ward 2 councillors Ian Findlay and Andy Van Hellemond. The total number of candidates for the 13 council seats so far is 29 with five for mayor, three each for Wards 1 and 2, six for Ward 3, three for Ward 4, four for Ward 5 and five for Ward 6. 

Other recent additions to the race include Chris Keleher Sr., who declared as a candidate in Ward 2 on June 23; Susan Moziar, who is running for the Trustee for the Upper Grand District School Board Wards 2, 3 and 4; and Ralph Edwards, who is looking to be elected Trustee for theUpper Grand District School Board Wards 1 and 5.

The final day to declare your candidacy is September 12; Election Day is October 27.