Ward 6 council seat crowded

TheBarrieExaminer.com
July 5, 2017
Cheryl Browne

So many people threw their hat into the ring, council chambers is going to look like an ice rink after a hat-trick next Monday night.

After the application process closed Tuesday, the list for the seat vacated by Michael Prowse has climbed to 32 candidates.

Prowse began his new position as the city’s chief administration officer July 1.

“The last time we filled a seat by appointment, we had 23 people come forward,” said Dawn McAlpine, Barrie’s city clerk.

That was when Patrick Brown stepped aside to take a federal position in 2006 and Alison Eadie was appointed to fill in until the next election.

Barrie isn’t the only council currently filling seats without hosting a byelection, which typically costs upwards of $50,000.

Both Toronto and Vaughan named new councillors to their chambers in June, McAlpine said, with Toronto accepting 48 registrations and Vaughan receiving applications from 56 people.

Only nine of the 32 candidates live in Ward 6, and McAlpine pointed out it is not a requirement for the position.

“The province doesn’t do that – they specifically don’t restrict who can apply – so the municipality can’t put restrictions on who can run,” she said.

“You could live one street over and be really involved in the community, or you could be a former member of council and understand the process, which could be more valuable than ward-specific knowledge. So it’s an open process,” McAlpine said.

Each candidate will be given five minutes to speak to the 10 councillors who will then vote by secret ballot for their choice for the Ward 6 seat.

McAlpine said a person with 50% plus one of the votes will win, but a second or third vote by council – dropping those who didn’t receive a vote from the ballot – might be necessary.

The list of the candidates in order of the date their papers were filed includes, Jim Hosick, Brad Thompson, Alma Sanders, Keith Robertson, Tara Wanamaker, Avery Konda, Mary-Florence Bartley, John Olthuis, Gary Harvey, Darren Roskam, Constance Elliott, James Dickie, Steve Trotter, Laurie Watt, Rodney Jackson, Zachary Gribbons-Shrubsole, Donald Kirkpatrick, Colin Nelthorpe, Sage Hyden, Mike Washburn, Kenneth Lansing, Dave Forfar, Justin Heran, Brandon Pitawanakwat, Kevin LePage, Lynn Strachan, Brian Jackson, Carl Hauck, Steve O’Donnell, Sonya Anderson, Ashley Polischuik and Shannon Murree.

The successful candidate will serve until the term ends Nov. 30, 2018.

Several of the candidates, including Barrie’s former deputy fire chief Forfar and former member of provincial parliament Jackson, say they’re willing to fill in the position until November 2018, with no future plans to run in the next election.

“I’m quite content to be retired, but I’m ready to be of benefit to the community if I’m needed,” Forfar said.

Jackson said there are a couple of reasons why he threw his name in the hat.

After leaving his position as CEO of the Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce last winter, he has the time.

“And it’s such a short term, I could hit the ground running because I already have a relationship with council,” Jackson said, who was a former Ward 3 councillor before becoming Barrie’s MPP in 2011.

Bartley said she sees the 1.5-year term as another way for her to support the community.

“I think they’re looking for someone who doesn’t have designs to run in the next election. I’m old enough now and I don’t need to do it, but I do want to give back,” Bartley said, who was an alderperson in Barrie from 1988 to 1997.

Yet Barrie realtor Murree said if she was the successful candidate, she might consider running for election in 2018.

“Never say never,” Murree said. “I’m already acting as an ambassador for Barrie when I speak with investors who are considering Barrie as a place to invest and I do the due diligence.

“I’m kind of a geek – I watch council on Rogers TV – if I’m not physically there in chambers. So I do feel I know the community and the issues council is dealing with,” she said.

Watt, a former reporter with a 15-year history of covering school boards and council, said she knows Ward 6 and knows the issues of concern to the residents.

“I have the policy and procedural insights gained as a journalist, along with ideas and problem-solving strategies I gained as a volunteer,” Watt said.

The successful Ward 6 candidate will be announced July 11.