Even though her campaign team started celebrating before all the votes were counted, Conny Glenn didn’t want to assume anything on Monday night.
Glenn is a first-time councillor in Kingston who won the mayor’s seat from incumbent Bryan Paterson, a familiar figure who was aiming for a record fourth term.
It was an incredibly tight race all night long – what Glenn referred to as “a nail-biter.”
She and her team were at the Kingston Yacht Club watching the results come in. The first update, with 13 out of 26 polls counted, showed Glenn ahead with 10,894 votes compared to Paterson’s 10,327.
A half-hour later, after nine more polls were tallied, they were still separated by less than two percentage points, with only two polls remaining to be reported.
“I was definitely on edge the entire time,” Glenn said.
Kingston mayor-elect Conny Glenn, right, on the campaign trail. (Conny Glenn for Mayor/Facebook)
A ‘very Canadian’ hand-off
Once the unofficial results came through showing Glenn with 43 percent of the vote against Paterson’s 41 percent, she finally felt relieved.
“We’ve done it. We’ve made it,” she recalled thinking as a councillor for Kingston’s Sydenham district.
Paterson visited the club to congratulate Glenn. “It was very, very Canadian, and I think a good transition will happen here,” said Glenn.
Several new mayors were elected across eastern Ontario on Monday as part of what Glenn sees as a movement for change.
“Many mayors have been around for multiple terms. We’re facing ongoing issues so people want someone new who can try something different,” she explained.
The biggest issue facing Kingston right now is its housing and homelessness crisis, according to the mayor-elect.
Glenn expressed excitement about collaborating with other mayors in the area because “we need a coordinated response.”
Unpacking the mayoral race results:
‘Chaotic’ campaign
More than 100 kilometers east of Kingston another first-time councillor celebrated their win Monday night.
Sarah Good gathered at a bar in Cornwall with family and friends to watch her early election results against incumbent Justin Towndale, who had previously served two terms as a councillor before becoming mayor.
The initial tally showed Good leading Towndale by over 5,000 votes; she was shocked but also relieved. It had been a “chaotic” few months for her she said.
Good originally dropped out of the race in spring after facing online harassment but decided to jump back into it just before nominations closed.
Shortly after submitting her papers, she found out that questions arose about her campaign filings from 2022. A month later she had to defend herself in court when city officials sought clarity on whether Good should be disqualified from running.
“Not something that I expected during my campaign,” she noted on Tuesday.
In the end she remained eligible to compete.
Court documents revealed that it was Towndale who raised concerns regarding her previous filings with city officials. Towndale later stated that he received information about these filings from others and thought carefully before approaching city hall since he knew it could “negatively affect” him too.
When all of Monday’s poll results came in, Good secured an impressive 65 percent of the vote while Towndale garnered only 18 percent.
“I did not expect such a large margin,” Good shared afterwards.
Link TextLorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit.Cornwall residents honked their horns in support while Good traveled around town in an RV owned by a friend adorned with campaign stickers – which she described as “a surreal and exciting” experience.
Once she’s sworn into office,,Good plans to focus on Cornwall’s upcoming budget since residents are bracing for potential tax increases between five or six percent.. p >“
There’s going to be significant challenges ahead trying*to stabilize how our taxes will ideally increase more reasonably,” Good explained.
WATCH | Summing up key results across eastern Ontario:
Some eastern Ontario municipalities see big shakeups after election
Voters elected new mayors not only in Cornwall and Kingston but also other areas like Brockville , Belleville , and Pembroke. The CBC’s Guy Quenneville reports.
Affordable supportive housing are also among top priorities , she added.
Towndale called Good afterward Monday eveningto congratulateher. She notedthathe also mentioned looking forwardto workingwithand supportingher leadingup t oher inaugurationin afacebook post Tuesday. To quotea former Prime Minister: ‘Democracyis aliveand well,’”he wrote.
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