Susan Fennell’s support slipping as Linda Jeffrey holds steady in new Forum poll

Brampton mayoral incumbent Susan Fennell’s support has dropped to 14 per cent as Linda Jeffrey holds a steady lead, and John Sanderson makes significant gains.

Thestar.com
Oct. 16, 2014
By Sadiya Ansari

With less than two weeks until election day, Brampton mayoral incumbent Susan Fennell’s support has dropped to 14 per cent as Linda Jeffrey holds a steady lead, with 42 per cent support in the latest Forum poll.

Jeffrey, a former Brampton MPP who served in the Liberal cabinet, had 42 per cent support three weeks ago while 17 per cent of those polled then said they would vote for Fennell.

John Sanderson, a sitting councillor, made gains with 27 per cent of voters polled supporting his bid for mayor compared to 17 per cent three weeks ago.

Just over two-thirds, or 68 per cent, of the 1,020 voters polled Thursday want Fennell to resign, up from 63 per cent in Forum’s poll last month.

The mayor, who was first elected in 2000, has been plagued by a spending scandal that emerged from a forensic audit by Deloitte Canada showing that Fennell and her staff violated spending rules. Over seven years, Deloitte found 266 transactions totaling $172,000 where rules were not followed. Fennell has publicly stated the audit is incorrect. On Sept. 18, Fennell served the Star with a notice of libel over its coverage of the expenses scandal. The paper said it stands by its coverage.

Fennell is running on her record, which her website points to as securing transit funding while opposing new taxes for transit, maintaining Brampton’s triple-A credit rating and helping build a new hospital.

Jeffrey, who resigned from provincial legislature to enter the mayoral race, prominently features a pledge for transparency at city hall in her platform. This includes reviewing city finances and a promise to post spending of the mayor, council and senior staff publicly in the first 100 days.

Sanderson is calling for two-term limits for the mayor’s seat and has committed to post his expenses and his staff’s online each month in addition to ending the practice of closed-door council meetings. As a councillor, Sanderson called for the Deloitte audit that revealed not only the mayor’s spending transgressions but also council’s.

The poll is considered accurate plus or minus three percentage points, 19 out of 20 times.