Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy successfully beat back a challenge from her sometimes contentious council opponent Chris Leahy to reclaim the mayor’s position, capturing 51.8 percent of the vote.
Roy, who used to work as a medical radiation therapist, and Leahy had numerous disputes during a challenging term in office. Leahy faced scrutiny from the town’s Integrity Commissioner due to violations of the code of conduct before they clashed at the polls on Oct. 26.
Roy received 19,177 votes compared to Leahy’s 16,122, with Harshini Rajmohan coming in a distant third at 1,674 votes.
Before becoming mayor, Roy was a trustee with the Durham District School Board from 1997 until she joined Whitby Council in 2006. She was re-elected in 2010 and secured a seat on regional council in 2014, winning re-election again in both 2014 and 2018 before successfully running for mayor in 2022 after Don Mitchell retired.
Along her journey, she also ran for the provincial Liberals in both 2011 and 2015 but lost to Christine Elliott and Lorne Coe respectively.
The start of her term was characterized by disagreements with Leahy and Ward 4 Regional Councillor Steve Yamada along with her successful battle against Ontario Premier Doug Ford for a commitment to build a new hospital for Whitby.
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe (left)
The first term of Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe also involved internal conflicts, especially with alt-right councillor Lisa Robinson who received nine sanctions during her time from the city’s Integrity Commissioner.
This year’s municipal election saw Ashe face off against Robinson along with former rival Janice Frampton, accountability advocate Doug Cornell, and tax reformer Shawn Rickard among others.
Ashley overcame challenges from Andrea Wood and Zargham Rasool as well and is returning as mayor after an easy win with 11,254 votes. Robinson came second with 7,109 votes while Frampton got 4,280 votes followed by Cornell at 3,059.
The son of George Ashe-the first mayor of Pickering elected back in 1973-Ashe Jr. began his political career as a Ward 1 city councillor in 2003 and held that position until he became regional councillor in 2015.
Ash was re-elected in 2018 before running for mayor when long-serving Dave Ryan decided not to seek re-election in 2022.
Ajax Mayor-Elect Marilyn Crawford
Marilyn Crawford won big in Ajax during an open contest following Mayor Shaun Collier’s retirement.
Crawford triumphed over former councillor Ashmeed Khan along with Richard Hinds, Carion Fenn, and Vian Persaud by securing an impressive total of 19,763 votes-61 percent of the overall ballots cast.
Khan took second place with 6,615 votes.
Crawford has also served as a school board trustee like Roy did previously; she was on the Durham District Board from 2000 until 2010 when she first joined Ajax Council as a local representative.
Crawford transitioned that role into one on regional council starting in 2018 where she won reelection four years later.
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