Brantford municipal election, 1997
Encyclopedia
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.
Source: "City Council," Brantford Expositor, 8 November 2000, D4.
Veteran politician Ron Eddy was elected as mayor.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Some of the rural and small-town communities outside of Brantford also held elections on the same day.
Chris Friel
Chris Friel
Chris Friel is a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was the mayor of Brantford from 1994 to 2003 and was re-elected to the same position in the 2010 municipal election.-Early life and private career:...
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.
- Patrick Clement (born September 9, 1949) was a first-time candidate in 1997. He intended to run for mayor a second time in 2000Brantford municipal election, 2000The 2000 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 2000, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.-Results:...
, 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 prejudical act.
- 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. In 1999, he wrote that revenues from the Brantford Charity CasinoBrantford Charity CasinoOLG Casino Brantford, formerly the Brantford Charity Casino, is a charity casino located in Brantford, Ontario.-Summary:Since the casino opened in 1999, it has drawn a small number of tourists into this city, though far fewer than was first predicted since numerous other casinos have been opened...
should be put in a reserve fund against future property tax increases.
- George W. Karmiris is a real estate broker and has chaired the Brantford Regional Real Estate Association. He wrote a public letter criticizing the Ontario Liberal PartyOntario Liberal PartyThe Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
during the 1999 provincial electionOntario general election, 1999An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. He was barred from running in the 2000 municipal electionBrantford municipal election, 2000The 2000 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 2000, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.-Results:...
after not filing an expenses return for 1997. - Robert Corby was a first-time political candidate. He was barred from running in the 2000 electionBrantford municipal election, 2000The 2000 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 2000, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.-Results:...
after not filing an expenses return for 1997. - 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. 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. In June 2003, he wrote a public letter criticizing excessive political correctnessPolitical correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
in the language around disability issues.
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.
- William (Bill) Stewart (died January 5, 2000) was the reeve of Onondaga Township from 1951 to 1957. He later became a perennial candidatePerennial candidateA perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
for public office, running for reeve of Onondaga in 1972Brantford municipal election, 1972The 1972 Brantford municipal election was held on December 4, 1972, to elect a mayor, councillors, school trustees, and public utility commissioners in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.Charles Bowen was elected to his first term as mayor.-Results:...
and 1974Brantford municipal election, 1974The 1974 Brantford municipal election took place on December 2, 1974, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada...
and for mayor of Brantford in 1978Brantford municipal election, 1978The 1978 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 1978, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada...
, 1982Brantford municipal election, 1982The 1982 Brantford municipal election was held on November 8, 1982, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The surrounding rural and small-town municipalities also held elections on the same day.-Results:...
, 1985Brantford municipal election, 1985The 1985 Brantford municipal election was held on November 12, 1985, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The rural and small-town communities surrounding Brantford also held elections on the same day.-Results:...
, 1988Brantford municipal election, 1988The 1988 Brantford municipal election was held on November 14, 1988, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Elections were also held in the rural and small-town communities around the city.-Results:...
, and 1991Brantford municipal election, 1991The 1991 Brantford municipal election was held on November 12, 1991, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.Bob Taylor, who had served on council for only one year, was elected as mayor over incumbent Karen George....
(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 meterParking meterA parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street parking policy, usually related to their traffic and...
s 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.