There will be a new mayor in Mapleton before the year is out.
2014 is a municipal election year in Ontario and incumbent Mayor Bruce Whale has told the Advertiser he will not be seeking re-election.
Meanwhile, current Mapleton councillor Neil Driscoll filed nomination papers indicating he will run for mayor. Mapleton CAO Patty Sinnamon said Driscoll filed his papers during the first week of January (nominations opened Jan. 1).
Whale told the Advertiser in a Jan. 10 telephone interview that he will not be seeking re-election as mayor. He also said he would not be running for any position on township council, but may consider a run for the Ward 2 seat on Wellington County council. That position is currently held by Mapleton resident and former local mayor and reeve John Green and Whale said he will consider running if Green decides not to seek re-election.
Whale, who served multiple terms as a councillor in Mapleton before becoming mayor, garnered 1,273 votes to win a three-way race over mayoral candidates Richard Molenaar and John Linde in 2010.
“I originally went into this with a one-term commitment in mind,” said Whale, noting the time frame fulfills both his commitment to his family and his electoral supporters.
“If there are some younger people with new ideas, it’s time for them to take over,” he added. Whale also said he hopes to find more time to travel with his wife, Deborah.
Driscoll, a first-time councillor, garnered the most votes (1,419) among candidates for council positions in the 2010 election. He said he was aware of Whale’s intention not to run before filing his nomination papers.
“I had considered (running for) mayor quite a while ago, but I wanted to do a term on council first to see how things would go,” said Driscoll.
“I appreciate what Mayor Whale did as mayor, but I think the mayor needs to take a stronger position in council and the operation of the municipality and my goal is to be that person.”
None of the other incumbent councillors – Jim Curry, Mike Downey and Andy Knetsch – have filed papers as of press deadline and no new candidates have emerged so far. Curry, Downey and Knetsch beat out a field that included four other candidates to claim the remaining positions on council in the last election.
No filings in Minto
While nomination papers have been filed in several other Wellington County municipalities, no candidates have officially declared their intention to run in the Town of Minto.
Key dates
Voting Day for the 2014 municipal and school board elections is Oct. 27.
The final day for candidates to file nomination papers is Sept. 12, which is also the final day for declared candidates to withdraw their names from the ballot.
Mapleton Township voters submitted ballots by mail in 2010 and Sinnamon said a report recommending a mail-in vote for 2014 was be on the agenda for the Jan. 14 council meeting.
Minto also voted by mail in the last election and will do so again in 2014.
More information on municipal elections can be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website at www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page219.aspx.
