York Region embraces status quo — with two exceptions

TorontoSun.com
June 12, 2014
Tracy McLaughlin

In York Region only two of the seven ridings changed colours.

The battle was over who would replace prominent PC incumbent and former cabinet minister Frank Klees who stepped down in 2014, leaving the door wide open for political change in this historically Tory riding.

Liberal Chris Ballard, 55, serving his first term on city council, will replace Klees’ big blue shoes with shiny new red ones.

Klees, a self-made millionaire businessman and former candidate for the leader of the PC party, called it quits after serving as an MPP since 1995.

“I’m delighted, but not surprised,” said Ballard, who owns a public affairs, communications and business. “From what I’ve been hearing at the doors, people like Liberals, they like Kathleen Wynne, and they like her platform. I would have been very surprised if the PC’s got in – people were very worried about Mr. Hudak’s plans.”

Locally, his priorities are increasing the number of GO trains in York Region and protecting the green space along the environmentally sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine.

Ballard was neck-and-neck with PC Jane Twinney, a Newmarket councillor who said Klees was a “friend and mentor” and she hoped to keep the Tory riding.

This riding is also where the quirky politician, Dorian Baxter, ran for the Canadians’ Choice Party. Baxter is a local priest who goes by the name “Elvis Priestly” and performs Elvis Presley gospel songs at church services. His slogan was one of the King’s own songs: “A little less conversation and a little more action please.”

Also in York Region, the voting battle in Vaughan was heated after Liberal incumbent Steven Del Duca was caught circulating a flyer that falsely depicted PC Leader Tim Hudak as a terrorist, laughing while walking away from an exploding hospital. Del Duca, who holds a law degree, apologized and his public clearly forgave him as he won the riding hands-down by more than 10,000 votes over PC Peter Meffe.

“I’m surprised that he wasn’t asked to step down,” said Peter Meffe, a Vaughan councillor who said the ad also ran in a local paper.

Other York Region ridings in this largely red region remained almost the same, with Liberal incumbent Michael Chan in Markham-Unionville; Liberal incumbent Reza Moridi in Richmond Hill; Liberal incumbent Helena Jaczek in Oak Ridges-Markham; PC incumbent Julia Munro in York Simcoe; and Liberal Sandra Yeung Racco leading PC incumbent Gila Martow in Thornhill by only a dozen or so votes at press time.