Both new and familiar faces at Dufferin County council

November 1, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By JASEN OBERMEYER

With everyone now recovering from municipal elections that also can mean changes to Dufferin County council, there will be both new and familiar faces on the 13-member body.

Shelburne, Orangeville, Mulmur, Amaranth, Grand Valley, and Mono each have the mayor and deputy mayor representing their municipality, while with smaller populations Melanchthon and East Garafraxa have only their mayors on Council. For some, joining county council will be an add-on to their political career, while for others they will be joining for the first time both their municipal council and county council.

For Orangeville it will be two new faces. Mayor-elect Sandy Brown and Deputy Mayor-elect Andy Macintosh.

In Mono, Laura Ryan was re-elected for a third straight term as mayor. Deputy Mayor-elect John Creelman will be the new but familiar face on council, the one-time County Warden returning to politics after 15 years serving as a Justice of the Peace.

Amaranth will also have two new faces at County, former long-time mayor Bob Currie having defeated the incumbent, Don MacIver, by 737 to 609 votes. Councillor Chris Gerrits also moved up to County Council by being acclaimed as the deputy mayor.

Shelburne will also have two new faces represent the town. Mayor Wade Mills was acclaimed over the summer after the only other contender, incumbent Ken Bennington withdrew his nomination papers. Councillor Steve Anderson, who a year ago stepped up to the plate after the sudden passing of councillor Tom Egan, successfully edged out fellow Councillor Dan Sample for the position of deputy mayor, receiving 924 votes to Mr. Sample’s 897.

For Mulmur, both a new and a familiar face will be on council. Mayor Elect Janet Horner defeated Paul Mills, the county’s 141st warden Paul Mills, with 887 votes to his 611. Deputy Mayor Earl Hawkins retained his seat on council, securing 862 votes to challenger and councillor Keith Lowry’s 609.

In Grand Valley, Steve Soloman was acclaimed as mayor. Three people vied for the position of deputy mayor, with Councillor Philip Rentsch ultimately coming on top with 437 votes, defeating fellow Councillor John Ince (395 votes) and challenger Ross Hutchings (72 votes).

In Melanchthon, Darren White was acclaimed as mayor, as was the case in East Garafraxa for Mayor Guy Guardhouse, with the latter township being the lone one where the whole council was acclaimed.

Mayor Ryan and Deputy Mayor Hawkins were the only members of council who were re-elected. With nine new faces on council, it is shaping up to be a new and interesting four years for Dufferin County Council.