‘It’s David vs. Goliath’: How three rivals hope to unseat the GTA mayors who have been in power for a total of 74 years

Milton’s Gord Krantz, Oakville’s Rob Burton and Markham’s Frank Scarpitti have been mayor for 74 years collectively and al are up for re-election.

Thestar.com, Thepeterboroughexaminer.com
Sept. 28, 2022
Noor Javed

When Gord Krantz became mayor of Milton in 1980, Zeeshan Hamid was only one year old.

Some 42 years later, Hamid is hoping that his bid for mayor in the upcoming election will finally end the streak of the longest-running mayor in the country.

“Our mayor’s been around for a long time. He has an amazing legacy, has done incredible work for Milton, and is like a mentor to me,” said Hamid, a regional councillor in Milton for the past 12 years who gave up his seat to run for the city’s top job.

“But the question now is, what kind of leader do we need for the future?”

Across the GTA, several races where sitting mayors may have sailed to victory in the past are turning into contests to watch in the Oct. 24 election as several challengers -- in some cases incumbents themselves -- run for their community’s top job. The candidates who appear to have the most promising chance of succeeding in what they deem a “David vs. Goliath” race are pushing for change, saying their growing cities need leadership with a fresh vision after decades of the same old.

But beating out popular incumbents is no easy task -- and particularly in places where voter apathy is high and election day turnout is low. According to one recent Canadian study, incumbency increases the probability of re-election by 41 per cent.

Even without the stats, Hamid said he is aware of the “uphill battle” he is facing. In 2018, Krantz won 81 per cent of the vote.

“It requires a lot of hard work and many one-on-one conversations,” said Hamid. “It’s about convincing people Milton can be better. They just have to vote for it.”

Krantz said much of his popularity has come from the way he has managed the town: fiscally responsible and by keeping taxes low.

“Do you think people are coming to Milton because they like the looks of me? No, that’s not it,” he said. “They are here because they like their lifestyle here.”

Markham's deputy mayor Don Hamilton is vying for the city's top job because he thinks current mayor Frank Scarpitti has become "too autocratic."

Over in Markham, it’s a two-man race with Mayor Frank Scarpitti facing a challenge from deputy mayor Don Hamilton.

“Our team is very optimistic,” said Hamilton. “It’s David vs. Goliath. He has been around for a long time, but I can tell you … every event I have been to people say it’s time for change.”

Scarpitti, who has been mayor for 16 years, won in 2018 with 75 per cent of the vote. Hamilton, who ran for regional councillor in 2018, won the most votes for the position, granting him the deputy mayor role.

“I think the current mayor has been too autocratic -- it’s like a one-man show,” said Hamilton. “And I believe the public wants more transparency.”

Hamilton said the mayor’s opposition to a lobbyist registry was one of his motivations to run for the city’s top job.

Hamilton said he is running on his 13-year record as both ward and regional councillor.

Scarpitti said that his record as mayor for the past 16 years speaks for itself.

“I don’t worry about my opponents,” he said. “My relationship, my duty and responsibility is to the people of Markham.”

Scarpitti said he is “making sure the people of Markham know what I have done, the approach I have taken and most importantly the results -- just judge me on the results.”

Julia Hanna said she's taking on Oakville Mayor Rob Burton again because she feels as though people in the community "aren't being heard."

In Oakville, local restaurateur Julia Hanna is taking on 16-year veteran Mayor Rob Burton again. In 2018, Burton won 49 per cent of the vote, while Hanna came close with 42 per cent of the vote. Also running in Oakville is 19-year-old Jack Kukolic.

Hanna said she’s back this election because she feels as though people in the community “aren’t being heard.”

She said the city is no longer affordable for many homeowners and businesses, and a number of housing projects haven’t moved forward despite the housing crisis.

Burton said residents value the years of experience he brings to the table, in particular around how to make the city more livable while increasing housing supply, as is required by the province.

Competitive municipal races are good for politics and democracy, according to Jack Lucas, a University of Calgary political science professor.

“We want elections that are competitive enough that they stimulate genuine accountability on the part of elected representatives,” said Lucas. “That’s what a good high-profile challenger does. Whether they win or lose, they tell people this is what your representative has been up to, and you have to think about whether this is something you support or not.

“It’s good for democracy when incumbents know that their actions in office are being watched.”

Lucas, who has studied incumbency advantage, said that in local city politics, the results are often skewed to those currently holding office, as it’s difficult for voters to come up with a vote choice in an election with no political parties. That’s particularly true where the media attention on council decisions is limited.

That same absence of information leads to fewer people willing to run for a seat in the first place, he added.

Despite their popularity, all three incumbent mayors said that even with a perceived edge and the decades of name recognition, they don’t take campaigning race for granted.

“I’m out there all the time,” said Krantz. “If it’s for a ribbon cutting, or attending someone’s 100th birthday, that’s part of campaigning, and being part of the community. That’s what people really appreciate.”

He expects with Hamid in the race -- in addition to two other candidates running for mayor in Milton -- it will be a good contest.

“I embrace a good challenge,” he said. “As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Hamid said his campaign appears to be resonating with voters: he’s already met and surpassed his fundraising goals.

He said as one of the fastest-growing communities in the GTHA, with a median age of 34, Milton still needs to play catch up, and have better advocacy at the table when it comes to improving municipal services.

“Many of our structures and policies reflect a community of 30,000 as opposed to 140,000,” said Hamid. “Milton’s service standard for any service -- transit, fire services, for literally anything -- is really low so that now Milton spends the least amount of money per capita for these in the entire GTHA.”

“We desperately need to modernize the community. And to do that, we need a modern mayor.”

Krantz, who doesn’t have a personal cellphone or personal email address, said being a modern mayor isn’t about having an active social media presence (which he also doesn’t have), but about remembering why you got into the job in the first place.

“People always know where to find me,” said Krantz, who still posts his home phone number online. “If an individual has a problem or concern, I am not hard to find. I will always call them back. And that’s why I think I have been reasonably successful -- I take my responsibility to the public very seriously.”