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Last Friday, the deadline passed to add your name to the candidate’s list for this fall’s municipal election. In the municipalities surrounding North Bay, many heeded the democratic call, providing opportunity to shake up many a council table.
In West Nipissing, five-term mayor Joanne Savage announced she will not run for another term, leaving the mayor’s seat wide open. Three candidates are running for the position, including current councillor Dan Roveda, and political new-comers Kathleen Rochon and Dave Lewington.
The municipality has eight wards, and each ward, except for Ward 8, will see a race. Jerome Courchesne is the lone Ward 8 candidate.
In Ward 1 we have Kris Rivard and Rejean Venne running, and Christine Riberdy and Roch St. Louis are vying for Ward 2. Daniel Gagne and Denis Sabourin are aiming for Ward 3, and Robert Burey and Jamie Restoule are hoping to win Ward 4.
Ward 5 will see a contest, as three contenders have stepped into the arena. Sue Desgroseilliers and Kaitlynn Nicol seek a seat, and current councillor Christopher Fisher hopes to win a second term. Roland Larabie also wants to keep his seat, but he has competition for Ward 6 from Anne Tessier. Ward 7 voters will have to chose between Fernand Pellerin and Normand Roberge, who currently sits on council after being appointed to fill a council seat that had been vacant for almost two years.
Regional politicos might notice some names missing from the list. Besides Mayor Savage, Lise Senecal, who currently represents Ward 1, decided not to run. Leo Malette of Ward 2 did not file for re-election, nor did Ward 3’s Yvon Duhaime. Denis Senecal, who currently represents Ward 8, also decided to sit this one out. With five at the table choosing not to run, this fall’s council will definitely have some new blood.
West Nipissing voters will have their choice this October, and Callander residents will also have some decisions to make as three candidates are in the race for mayor. Current mayor Robb Noon is in the running, as is current councillor Daryl Vaillancourt. Gay Smylie also has her sights set on the mayor’s chair.
There are seven candidates running for four council seats. Dillon Anderson, Chantal Cormier, Mike Dell, Grant McMartin, and Michal Suszter are all in the running. Current councillors Jordy Carr and Irene Smit are keen for another term, and Linda Alkins has decided not to seek another term.
Callander’s political junkies will have their fix, but what about East Ferris voters? The political landscape isn’t heading for an earthquake there, but some change may be on the horizon. Mayor Pauline Rochefort is running uncontested, so she’ll be back for another term.
Steven Trahan, Terry Kelly, and Rick Champagne are all aiming to return to council, but three others also want a seat at the table. Nick Brazeau, Lauren Rooyakkers, and Jack Daniel Doherty have all filed. Erika Lougheed is not running for council again but has put her name in for the school board.
Bonfield has four council seats and seven people are hoping to claim one for themselves. Three councillors are planning to return—Jason Corbett, Eric Foisy, and Marc Vaillancourt—but Jane Lagassie has opted out for this run.
However, these three will contend with Donna Clark, Steve Featherstone, Dan MacInnis, and Kyle MacKenzie for a seat at the table.
There are three candidates for mayor this year. Randall McLaren wants to keep his seat as head of council, but Jules Gagne and Narry Paquette are planning to give him a run for the top spot.
Moving to Mattawa, long-serving Mayor Dean Backer decided to step down after this term, and Raymond Belanger and Marie Johanne Goyette are in the running to fill the seat. There are seven seats available on council, and nine residents plan to claim a seat.
Current councillors Dexture Sarrazin, Garry Thiebert, Loren Mick and Laura Ross are seeking re-election, but Gary Larose and Corey Lacelle decided not to run this fall. As for contenders, we have Mark Duchesne, Mathew Gardiner, Fern Levesque, Kenneth (Bernie) MacDonald, and Lise Perreault.
There will also be a mayor’s race in the Municipality of Calvin, as Richard Gould is running against current mayor Ian Pennell. Voters also have a wealth of choices for council. There are four seats available and ten candidates competing for a spot.
Bert Castelyn, Sandy Cross, and Christine Shippam plan to keep their seats, but Kim Brooker is not running again. Courtney Desjardins, Dean Grant, and Robert Latimer plan to give incumbents a run, as do Robert Latimer, Bill Moreton, Heather Olmstead, and Jeremy Rodgers.
Over in Papineau-Cameron, long-time mayor Robert Corriveau will keep his seat as he’s running uncontested. However, the race for the four council seats will be heated, as seven residents are aiming for a spot at the council table.
Shelley Belanger, Wendy Adams, Alvina Neault, and Rene Maheu are all planning to keep their current council seats, but Jason Belanger, Melanie Chenier and Keith Dillabough also have council seats in their sights.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
