Clarke Wins
By John Swartz
Steve Clarke led the returns from the first reported poll to the end of results reporting, eventfully topping out with 7,569 votes to Whitney Smith’s 1,690. Unofficially 9,332 votes were cast from a pool of 26,464 voters for a 35.5% voter turnout.
The turnout was up from the 2022 election when 32.4 % of voters took advantage, but did not exceed the turnout of 36.2% of 2018, the 40% in 2014, or the 51% of 2010. It’s mystifying how so many people can turn down the opportunity to do something for free.
There was some nail biting for Ward 2 candidates as the lead changed a few times as more results were added to the running total. Mason Ainsworth ended up topping out with 1,491 votes. Luke Leatherdale climbed steadily all night from far down the list of candidates in the ward with six running to claim the second seat with 1,268 votes. At one point Rob Kloostra led the board and Duncan McDonald was on top when results from polling station #1 were posted.
In Ward Three Jay Fallis and Jeff Czetwerzuk lead comfortably all night as did Tim Lauer and Janet-Lynne Durnford in Ward 4, though Doug Cooper was chasing most of the night.
School board elections ended with Jodi Lloyd retain her Simcoe County District School Board seat with 5,090 votes, Timothy Jackson was acclaimed for the Simcoe Muskok Catholic District School Board, Eric Lapointe won the Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French public school board) seat with 16 votes and Donald Blais won the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Catholic French school board) seat 40 votes.
The council chambers had about 30 people on hand to watch the returns come in, with Durnford and Ralph Cipolla being the only incumbents on hand. Krystal Brooks and Maggie Osler Best were the only other candidates in the room.
Cipolla watch patiently as the results came in until it was clear he was not going to be re-elected.
It was a sad end to a 24 years council career for Cipolla, who was at the front end of the quest for Orillia to build a proper recreation centre and drive the redevelopment of Mississaga Street in the 1970s. He left quietly head up.
Best and Brooks were philosophical about their lower standing, with both realizing it was a long shot.
Brooks was optimistic she was able to bring some overlooked perspective to the homelessness discussion and about the Champlain Monument, if it can return despite recent events with it, or not during the campaign period.
“I am in the best place tonight. I feel good. I still did a lot in this election and I’m proud of that. I was kind of mentally preparing myself to not win all day today so I wouldn’t be disappointed,” Brooks said.
Durnford was most worried about Doug Cooper’s position in the Ward Four poll, as not changing and bumping her out of her seat.
“Doug Cooper is an absolutely fantastic candidate and I have great respect for him and I thought it would be neck and neck between Doug and I and I was totally OK with that, but I’m very pleased with the results obviously. I am so privileged to be working with Tim again because Tim has such a wealth of experience and he’s wonderful to work with,” Durnford said.
Clarke’s campaign post-election party was at Lake Country Grill and his campaign team was out in numbers.
When he took to the podium to make his first speech as Orillia new mayor he spent a good deal of time thanking many of the campaign team members, outlining their respective functions in the campaign before speaking about the larger issues facing the municipality during the next four years.
“We have to have some kind of positive effect in reducing homelessness,” Clarke said, prefacing with he expects the numbers of homeless people are expected to get worse before anything gets better.
Clarke also outlined the task of setting next year’s budget, which will be the first order of business for council in the new term, saying before they even begin to deal with in house budgets they have already got asks from the County of Simcoe and the OPP amounting to a 2.5% increase.
Clarke also said a renewed focus on the climate change action plan is in the cards, which includes updating the winter control policy in light of what appears to be a feature of our winters now with heavier snow falls.
“Winter operations are going to be a challenge,” for budget allocations Clarke said.
He also said there were four things he called ‘generational projects’ in the hospital, Lakehead, downtown reconstruction and what happens to the old hospital location.
“What we do on that property (the old hospital) is absolutely integral to keeping the economy of the core of the City healthy.”
He congratulated those who did not make the cut by reminding the audience Abraham Lincoln lost 7 elections before becoming president of the United States.
“A little bit of tenacity goes a long way,’ as means of encouraging those candidates to keep trying.
He closed out his address saying, “I don’t know what is going to come at me in the next four years, but I’m ready.”
Following the speech SUNonline/Orillia asked if Clarke had any doubt he would win the election.
“I have played enough sports in my life that any time you assume you are going two to win by two or three goals; you can find yourself down by two or three goals at the end of the second period, so not that I had doubts, but I never counted on anything being reality until tonight,’ Clarke said.
The new council will be sworn in November 23.
Results from surrounding townships are; Mike Burkett is returning as mayor of Severn Township as is Randy Greenlaw in Oro-Medonte, and Keith Bell becomes mayor of Ramara.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia) Main: Steve Clarke returns as mayor of the City of Orillia.
