1997 Brantford municipal election explained

The 1997 Brantford municipal election was held on November 10, 1997, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario. Some of the rural and small-town communities outside of Brantford also held elections on the same day.

Chris Friel was easily re-elected as mayor of Brantford, defeating right-wing challenger Andy Woodburn.

Results

• Wayne Barlett was a first-time candidate in 1997. He has served on Brantford's economic development board.^[1]
• Patrick Clement (born September 9, 1949) was a first-time candidate in 1997. He intended to run for mayor a second time in 2000, but was informed that he could not do so because he had not filed an expenses report for the 1997 campaign. Clement had planned to run on a platform of reducing taxes and pursuing an anti-poverty strategy and described his disqualification as a prejudicial act.^[2]

• Cam Gillespie has served on the boards of the Brantford General Hospital, the Brantford Community Services Advisory Board, and the Brantford Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Advisory Committee.^[3] In 1999, he wrote that revenues from the Brantford Charity Casino should be put in a reserve fund against future property tax increases.^[4]

• George W. Karmiris is a real estate broker and has chaired the Brantford Regional Real Estate Association.^[5] He wrote a public letter criticizing the Ontario Liberal Party during the 1999 provincial election.^[6] He was barred from running in the 2000 municipal election after not filing an expenses return for 1997.^[7]
• Robert Corby was a first-time political candidate. He was barred from running in the 2000 election after not filing an expenses return for 1997.^[8]
• Ron Rattie has been active with disability issues in Brantford. He has chaired Brantford's Operation Lift program and co-chaired the Brantford Equal Access Team, and was a peer support coordinator of the Canadian Paraplegic Association of Ontario.^[9] He himself was involved in a car accident in 1981 that resulted in his becoming a quadriplegic. Rattie was named as Brantford's Citizen of the Year in 2002 and served on the board that chose his successor in 2003.^[10] In June 2003, he wrote a public letter criticizing excessive political correctness in the language around disability issues.^[11]

Source: "City Council," Brantford Expositor, 8 November 2000, D4.

Surrounding communities

In 1998, the newly amalgamated community of Brant County (outside of Brantford) held a special municipal election to elect a mayor and councillors.

Veteran politician Ron Eddy was elected as mayor.^[12]

• William (Bill) Stewart (died January 5, 2000) was the reeve of Onondaga Township from 1951 to 1957. He later became a perennial candidate for public office, running for reeve of Onondaga in 1972 and 1974 and for mayor of Brantford in 1978, 1982, 1985, 1988, and 1991 (there may also have been other candidacies). He came within seven votes of winning in 1972, but in every election thereafter he lost by a significant margin. Described as a "down-to-earth farmer," Stewart was outspoken on many issues, including what he believed was high taxation. On one occasion, he recommended removing all parking meters from Brantford's downtown. The 1998 election seems to have been his last bid for public office. He died in 2000, at age seventy-nine.^[13]

References

1. Ross Marowits, "Former CAO on library board," Brantford Expositor, 8 February 2000, A3; Ross Marowits, "City appointments questioned after candidates passed over," Brantford Expositor, 16 January 2001, A4.
2. Ross Marowits and Michael-Allan Marion, "Municipal election process begins," Brantford Expositor, 5 January 2000, A3; Ross Marowits, "Mayoral campaign cut short," Brantford Expositor, 15 August 2000, A1.
3. "New blood for board at BGH," Brantford Expositor, 14 July 1999, A5; Ross Marowits, "Former CAO on library board," Brantford Expositor, 8 February 2000, A3; Ross Marowits, "City appointments questioned after candidates passed over," Brantford Expositor, 16 January 2001, A4.
4. Cam Gillespie, "Casino cash should go to taxpayers," Brantford Expositor, 7 December 1999, A10.
5. "Real estate sales rising," Brantford Expositor, 9 September 1999, A3; "Karmiris heads association," Brantford Expositor, 7 January 2000, A4; "Housing market still hot," Brantford Expositor, 4 May 2000, A3.
6. George Karmiris, "McGuinty coy about true costs of promises" [letter], Brantford Expositor, 27 May 1999, A10. Karmiris did not indicate his political affiliation in this letter, although his criticisms were generally from the right.
7. Ross Marowits and Michael-Allan Marion, "Municipal election process begins: Nominations now being accepted," Brantford Expositor, 5 January 2000, A3.
8. Ross Marowits and Michael-Allan Marion, "Municipal election process begins: Nominations now being accepted," Brantford Expositor, 5 January 2000, A3.
9. "Around Town," Brantford Expositor, 12 May 1999, C6; Susan Gamble, "Panel will help city become barrier-free," Brantford Expositor, 9 February 2001, A4.
10. Vincent Ball, "Ron Rattie," Brantford Expositor, 23 April 2002, A2; David Judd, "Name your candidate for Citizen of the Year," Brantford Expositor, 21 March 2003, A8.
11. Ron Rattie, "Everyone needs a sense of humour" [letter], Brantford Expositor, 5 June 2003, A11.
12. Michael-Allan Marion, "Eddy seeks full term as Brant County mayor," Brantford Expositor, 29 June 2000, A1.
13. Susan Gamble, "Former reeve of Onondaga dies," Brantford Expositor, 7 January 2000, A4.