The competition for the mayoral position in Pembroke is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated battles in Renfrew County as nominations proceed ahead of the municipal election set for Oct. 26.
Current Mayor Ron Gervais is aiming for another term, facing off against Deputy Mayor Brian Abdallah and Stephanie Le May, making it one of the few contested mayoral elections in the county so far.
The contest for city council is also generating considerable interest. Eight candidates have declared their intention to run for six available seats, which includes incumbent councillors Andrew Plummer and Ian Kuehl. They will be joined on the ballot by Elise Fuisz, James (Jamie) Law, Shawn Behnke, Krista Zingel, Dominique Allard-Auclair, and former city chief administrative officer Terry Lapierre.
While things are heating up in Pembroke, nearby municipalities are experiencing a mix of contested races and potential acclamations.
In Petawawa, Mayor Gary Serviss is still the only candidate to file for mayor thus far. Five incumbent councillors – James Carmody, Lisa Coutu, Murray Rutz, Theresa Sabourin and Karen Donovan – are running again while Colton Kyle and Jody Anne Mc Donald have also entered the council race.
A similar situation is unfolding in Laurentian Valley Township. As of July 24, both Mayor Steve Bennett and Reeve Keith Watt are seeking re-election without facing any opposition.
All five incumbent councillors have also filed to return to their positions. Allan Wren, Betty King, Jen Gauthier, Brian Hugli and Wendy Hewitt will be challenged by Charity Parisian, Alysia Beevis, Jay Geddes and Jason Schulz.
In Whitewater Region, Mayor Neil Nicholson currently has no challengers.
The race for deputy mayor features current councillors Christopher Olmstead and Joseph Trimm competing against each other while incumbent Connie White and Craig Hebert have filed for council seats.
Around Renfrew County, several municipalities haven’t yet seen crowded candidate lists.
Bonnechere Valley’s Mayor Jennifer Murphy stands as the only candidate for mayor at this time. Four individuals have declared their candidacy for four council seats: Kayla Desjardins, Jamie Donnelly, Carol Boudreau and Kimberly Lehman.
The Killaloe area will host at least a three-way race for mayor with incumbent Dave Mayville being challenged by councillors Brian Pecoskie and Bil Smith.
Council ward races are starting to take shape too. Carl Kuehl and Shauna Poulton have filed in Ward 1 (Killaloe), while incumbent Harold Lavigne has put his name forward in Ward 2 (Hagarty). In Ward 3 (Richards), Stephen Gravefell and Kate Mc Falls are running as well.
The Madawaska Valley region will welcome a new face as Councillor Mary Blank stands alone as a candidate for mayor after incumbent David Shulist opted to pursue a council seat instead. Shulist has filed alongside Fatima Bint Abdul-Muqit.
In Deep River’s election scene; Mayor Suzanne D’Eon along with Reeve Glenn Doncaster are both looking to retain their positions. Incumbent councillors William Fitton , om Vaughan , and Christina Giardini have also filed their names among those vying for five council seats within the municipality.
Laurentian Hills’ Mayor Anne Giardini seeks another term without any opponents so far. Incumbent councillors Brenda Blimkie Bruce Boucher have submitted nominations , but no candidates yet exist in Wards 2 or 4.
Nomination information regarding North Algona Wilberforce Township wasn’t available at this time.
As nominations remain open until Friday , August 21 at 2 p. m., it’s expected that candidate lists will continue expanding before residents head out on October twenty-sixth.
Source link
