Two days and two delays later, the new Bradford West Gwillimbury council was finally elected Tuesday evening — and it is exactly the same council as it was before.
It is the first time since 1988 an entire council has been re-elected in a municipal election in BWG, said Ward 3 Coun. Gary Lamb.
Despite the crash of the online voting system, which prompted the Town of BWG to extend the voting deadline 24 hours, and then a second delay because people were still voting at the 8 p.m. cutoff, council members were all smiles after the results came in.
“It feels like Groundhog Day,” said Ward 4 Coun. Ron Orr, at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre where a second Election Night gathering was held Tuesday.
“I’m feeling very happy that the same crew is going to be governing. I feel we’re going to accomplish a lot in the next four years.”
And each council member made it clear what was at the very top of their priority list for the next four-year term — traffic flow through town.
“Traffic is going to be our big issue,” Orr said.
While the municipal election got off to a rocky start with the voting crash Monday, several councillors said they are confident in the results, with some, such as Deputy Mayor James Leduc, pledging the town would never have only online and phone voting again.
“I understand it wasn’t anything our town staff did. It was a glitch,” said Ward 1 Coun. Raj Sandhu. “I feel confident in the results. I want to know how in the future to prevent this. Why (did it happen) with this company?”
In Ward 1, Sandhu was running for re-election against Aftab Hussain, David Lontini, and Dave Wood.
The biggest issue Sandhu said he heard from residents while campaigning was traffic, especially around schools.
He said he plans to meet with parent councils and town staff to come up with safety solutions, as well as continue advocating for the Highway 400-404 Connecting Link and coming up with backup plans in the meantime.
“I’m not surprised (the entire current council was re-elected). This council worked as a team. You need to move forward and work for the people,” he said.
In interviews with BradfordToday, Ward 1 candidates noted traffic, parking and public safety were top priorities in town, along with garbage and waste management.
One candidate, app developer Wood, said he would create a smartphone app for the town for local residents to crowdsource yard waste and bulk item disposal.
Sandhu also said he would push for enhanced waste pickup by the County of Simcoe, including summer-long yard waste pickup.
In Ward 2, Coun. Gary Baynes was running against Brian Carruthers.
"I'm delighted to be elected as Ward 2 councillor. I'll work even harder this time around," Baynes said after the election. "The biggest issue is getting people into, through, out of and around (town)."
Baynes told BradfordToday during the campaign his top priorities are pushing hard for the Highway 400-404 Connecting Link and ensuring the Highway 400 Employment Lands are occupied as soon as possible.
In Ward 3, Lamb was running against Bruce Davis, Shah Malik, and Marion Fischer.
Infrastructure, traffic and accessibility were the main issues highlighted by the candidates in this ward, respectively.
On Election Night, Lamb was still pushing those same issues.
“We’ve got to finish the roads and the new interchange,” as well as expand BWG Fire and Emergency Services coverage, keep up infrastructure to the same rate as the town’s growth and development, and create “lots more parks.”
Lamb also said he was not surprised the entire current council was re-elected, but he was shocked by the low voter turnout — just more than 600 people voted in Ward 3.
“There was more last time,” he said, adding he believes what is to blame is the voting glitch or residents were simply happy with the town’s leadership and decided not to vote.
“Our votes were down in Ward 3, even with all these new, extra people… I wish more would take advantage of democracy.”
In Ward 4, Orr was running against Rick Turner and Carl Hordyk.
Traffic was the biggest campaign point for all these candidates.
Orr said the next council must investigate more into how to fix traffic issues in town, including having more South Simcoe police presence.
Hordyk, a former BWG councillor, said the town needs more “made-in-Bradford solutions,” such as synchronizing traffic lights.
Affordable housing, particularly for seniors, will also be high on the list in the next term, especially with two retirement homes and an apartment building for seniors being built next to Holland Gardens Retirement Residence, Orr said.
In Ward 5, with 71 per cent of the vote, Coun. Peter Ferragine won in a landslide victory against Munawar Chudary.
“Unreal. It was awesome — same team,” Ferragine said. “Based on the amount of signs out there, it looked like my competitor had a lot more support. I heard differently at the door… Signs don’t vote.”
Like many other candidates during the campaign, Ferragine and Chudary named traffic and affordable housing as top priorities for the town.
With the Highway 400-404 Connecting Link years away, Ferragine suggested the town look at other options to help decrease traffic congestion in the meantime, such as a connecting bridge from Simcoe Road to Keele Street.
Chudary told BradfordToday he would initiate a “safe and better traffic plan” for the town’s rural lines, as well as look at creating a food hub at the Highway 400 Employment Lands.
In Ward 6, Coun. Mark Contois was running against Lisa Hawkins.
“I think some of the wards where the race is tight, it gave people an opportunity to get out and vote. If people want to be heard, they have that opportunity,” he said.
Contois suggested council should take another look at Internet voting and possibly returning to a paper ballot.
“Some municipalities did both. I think in the future we should do both,” he said.
Contois said he was surprised at the low voter turnout in his ward, where a total of 860 ballots were cast.
“I’m shocked. I had about 350 signs out,” he said.
In total, BWG had a voter turnout of 33.5 per cent, with 8,219 votes cast.
“That’s low. I guess we can’t make it any more convenient,” he said.
During the election campaign, Contois shared his view that more apartments need to be built in BWG to help increase the amount of affordable housing.
Hawkins said she wants to restrict the traffic of transport trucks along Holland Street and campaigned for more diversity on council, which currently has no women councillors.
In Ward 7, Coun. Peter Dykie Jr. was running against Dave Minnema.
Asked if he had been nervous about the results, Dykie Jr. said: “Big time. It was nerve-wracking.”
BWG’s longest-serving councillor said he “enjoyed going door to door. Every time you do it you learn more and more… but I had mixed feelings. It wasn’t easy.”
He suggested going door to door was important to keeping in touch with the needs of constituents.
“At the end of the day, we need to walk the streets. I, too, see the sidewalk problems, the roads… I promise to continue working to get the money for the older part of town.”
Similar to Ferragine, Dykie Jr. said during the election campaign he would look at ideas to help decrease traffic congestion sooner than later, such as traffic-calming bollards.
Minnema focused on the message of wanting to deliver more efficient leadership in the ward, as well as protecting parks from urban growth.
Dykie Jr. first ran for council in 1985 after helping his uncle campaign for municipal office.
“I was 18 years old… It’s been a lot of years,” he said.
— With files from Miriam King
And the winners are…
Mayor: Rob Keffer (90 per cent of the vote), Pat Roberge (10 per cent)
Deputy mayor: James Leduc (85 per cent), Iftikhar Ahmad (15 per cent)
Ward 1: Raj Sandhu (61 per cent), David Wood (19 per cent), David Lontini (15 per cent), Aftab Hussain (5 per cent)
Ward 2: Gary Baynes (65 per cent), Brian Carruthers (35 per cent)
Ward 3: Gary Lamb (64 per cent), Bruce Davis (27 per cent), Marion Fischer (6 per cent), Shah Malik (2 per cent)
Ward 4: Ron Orr (41 per cent), Rick Turner (35 per cent), Carl Hordyk (24 per cent)
Ward 5: Peter Ferragine (71 per cent), Munawar Chudary (29 per cent)
Ward 6: Mark Contois (58 per cent), Lisa Hawkins (42 per cent)
Ward 7: Peter Dykie Jr. (57 per cent), Dave Minnema (43 per cent)
School board trustees
English public: Debbie Connors (55 per cent), Donna Da Silva (45 per cent)
English separate: Jeanny Salmon (acclaimed)
French public: Guy Belcourt (35 per cent), Saveria Caruso (35 per cent), Eric Lapointe (29 per cent)
French separate: Claire Thibideau (77 per cent), Ryan Malenfant (23 per cent)
