With the end of Hell Week and the start of classes again, all is back to normal for us engineers at UW. Much the same can be said for Waterloo City Hall. The election on the 25th came and went in the city without much dramatic change, as Mayor Brenda Halloran regained her position with a comfortable victory. Her competition was strong, but fortunately for the returning mayor votes seemed to split pretty evenly between the three other main candidates; those being two-term councillor Jan d’Ailly, retired business executive Dale Ross and former business professor Franklin Ramsoomair. Halloran becomes the first mayor of Waterloo to be re-elected since Brian Turnbull, who ended his second term in 1997. Halloran’s popularity is largely credited to her success in controlling and improving the finances of the city, which have been embroiled in debt and the disastrous RIM Park scandal. She has also promised an extensive review of the city’s transit operations, namely the prospect of an $800 million dollar light rail transit system, and has committed to extensive environmental upgrades.
Although Waterloo will continue to be guided by Brenda Halloran, there have been a few changes in City Hall that are worth mentioning. The most prominent change is the arrival of 30 year old Jeff Henry, a former academic counsellor at UW, as Ward 6 Councillor. Henry will not only be the youngest councillor for the City of Waterloo, but also won against 79-year-old veteran politician Mike Connely. His plans include addressing poverty, taxes and the student housing crises.
Melissa Durrell, daughter of former Ottawa mayor Jim Durrell, has won the seat vacated by the incumbent Ian McLean in Ward 7. She beat competitor Peter Woolsencroft by more than 600 votes. She credits her success by running a campaign that she describes ‘as a mix of old and new school’, relying on both door to door canvassing and extensive participation on both Facebook and Twitter.
Other than Durrell and Connely there will be no changes to City Council. Scott Witmer, 35, defeated opponent Henrik Noesgaard, 63, to keep his seat. Angela Vieth, Diane Freeman and Mark Whaley regained their spots on City Council, with only Mark Whaley experiencing a close race against strong challenger and former councillor Gary Kieswetter.
So overall there were no big surprises and very little excitement. If you’re eager to see the official voting results, they can be found at http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=2696.
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