The following editorial appeared in the September 13 edition of the Guelph Tribune:
After months of not much sign-up activity for candidates in most of Guelph’s wards, a recent flurry of nomination filings means it’s now “game on” for the Oct. 25 civic elections in Guelph. City residents will have meaningful choices, with a spectrum of political opinion represented in most wards. There is potential for upsets in most of the city’s six wards, and the result could be significant change on city council. On the other hand, because 10 of the 12 current councillors as well as Mayor Karen Farbridge are seeking reelection, residents who are pleased with what the current council has been doing will have plenty of opportunity to register their approval at the ballot box.
Ward 2 could be a fascinating gauge of how people are feeling about the current council. For one thing, it pits first-time councillors Vicki Beard and Ian Findlay against Ray Ferraro, the only member of the majority faction in the 2003-06 council led by former mayor Kate Quarrie who’s trying for a come-back. Rocco Furfaro, Peter Hamtak, Dan Moziar and Dan Schnurr were defeated along with Ferraro and Quarrie in 2006, but Ferraro is the only one of them running again now. Also on the ballot in Ward 2 are Paul Mahony and high-profile candidate Andy Van Hellemond. Van Hellemond says “the numbers speak for themselves” in terms of the cost of operating the city now as opposed to four years ago.
Then there’s Ward 1, which is shaping up as a free-for-all with 11 candidates, including one incumbent and two former councillors in the running.
A slow start to this election, but let’s hope for an exciting race to the finish line.