| Matt Brown | |
| Office: | 63rd Mayor of London |
| Term Start: | December 1, 2014 |
| Term End: | November 30, 2018 |
| Predecessor: | Joni Baechler |
| Successor: | Ed Holder |
| Birth Name: | Matthew Brown |
| Birth Place: | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality: | Canadian |
| Party: | Independent |
| Children: | John Brown, Braden Brown |
Matthew Brown is a Canadian politician who served as the 63rd mayor of London from 2014 and 2018.[1]
Brown was born in London, Ontario, in 1973. He grew up in Woodstock before graduating from the University of Waterloo.[2] He has two sons, named John Brown and Braden Brown.
In the 2014 mayoral race, he defeated runner up Paul Cheng. Prior to his election to the mayoralty, Brown represented Ward 7 on London City Council.[3]
As mayor, Brown oversaw the planning phase of the controversial Shift bus rapid transit (BRT) network, on which construction began after his term as mayor.[4] [5]
In a 2017 episode of the television series Political Blind Date, Brown and Giorgio Mammoliti discussed their differing perspectives on the issue of safe injection sites.[6]
In April 2018 Brown announced that he would not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election.[7]
On June 14, 2016, he temporarily suspended his duties as mayor following his disclosure of an affair with deputy mayor Maureen Cassidy.[8] The affair drew national attention across Canada.[9] [10] [11] The London Integrity Commissioner issued a report to City Council stating that Matt Brown and Maureen Cassidy violated sections 2.4, 5.1 and 5.1(1)(e) of the Municipal Code of Conduct.[12] In the report the integrity commissioner stated that he "has no authority" under current guidelines, to demand a resignation or prevent either office holder from running for re-election.[12]
Brown announced his return to duties as mayor on June 22, 2016, and on June 23, 2016, attended his first council meeting since the leave.[13]
On September 29, 2016, it was reported by CBC News that he had separated from his wife, Andrea.[14]
| Name | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt BROWN | 4,976 | 58.16 | |
| Walter LONC | 1,818 | 21.25 | |
| Phil MCLEOD | 1,455 | 17.01 | |
| Justin SAMLAL | 307 | 3.59 | |
| Total | 8,556 |
| Name | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt BROWN | 63,842 | 57.75 | |
| Paul CHENG | 37,938 | 34.32 | |
| Joe SWAN | 4,623 | 4.18 | |
| Roger CARANCI | 1,190 | 1.08 | |
| Arnon KAPLANSKY | 700 | 0.63 | |
| Donna KELLEY | 543 | 0.49 | |
| Marie MISZCZAK | 522 | 0.47 | |
| Steven GARDNER | 351 | 0.32 | |
| Jim KOGELHEIDE | 276 | 0.25 | |
| Tae Khun HA | 112 | 0.10 | |
| Dan LENART | 110 | 0.10 | |
| Dennis PERRY | 107 | 0.10 | |
| Alexander MAIN | 87 | 0.08 | |
| Carlos MURRAY | 76 | 0.07 | |
| Ma'in SINAN | 74 | 0.07 | |
| Ali Hamadi | 7 | 0.01 | |
| Total | 110,551 |