Municipal election 2006

Region chair:

Carr runs over Marshall's hopes

The anticipated tight race for the regional chairman's seat between Gary Carr and recently retired Halton CAO Brent Marshall didn't materialize Monday night. Carr, a former Halton MP, garnered the lead early in the municipal election and by night's end he had secured 45,693 votes while Marshall, of Acton, took home 32,297. Brian Burton received 16,136 votes and Robert Plaschka, 3,153. The win for Carr puts him back into the political arena after a brief hiatus and holding onto his title as `Landslide Carr'-- a nickname he earned when he won by 108 votes in his first provincial election. Carr, who lost his seat to Garth Turner earlier this year-- could not be reached for comment. Marshall took the majority of Halton Hills votes and received support from retiring chair Joyce Savoline, but it wasn't enough to beat Carr. "We did really well in Halton Hills, a little bit disappointed perhaps in Milton," said Marshall. Overall, however, Marshall said he wasn't disappointed. "I'm very proud of what we did as a team and very proud of the entire campaign," he said. "We went into this thing believing we had a really good opportunity here," he added. So, what went wrong? "It's never one thing, it's usually a combination of things," he said. "We had to combat the recognition issue with Gary Carr." Asked if his late entry into the race-- he entered the last day possible--impacted the outcome, Marshall said, "there's nothing to suggest we suffered from that." Plaschka, who placed last in the race, wasn't letting that get him down after the polls closed. "I'm happy with the number of votes I got," he said. " It was a great learning experience." At press time, Burton couldn't be reached for comment. Carr is a former professional hockey player and provincial Progressive Conservative who joined the Liberals to run at the federal level.

REGION CHAIR

Gary Carr..................45,693 (2,111 local)

Brent Marshall......................32,297 (6,855) Brian Burton.........................16,136 (1,639) Robert Plaschka.........................3,153 (330)

Brent Marshall shakes hands with supporter Peter Pomeroy following Marshall's loss to Gary Carr Monday.

Mayor: Bonnette earns second term with ease

Incumbent Mayor Rick Bonnette cruised to an easy victory in Monday's municipal election, beating challenger Robert Heaton by nearly a 7:1 margin. Bonnette grabbed the lead right from the start, and by the time the night was over, he had 9,873 votes compared to Heaton's 1,427. Bonnette spent the evening in his office at the Civic Centre watching election results with his wife Josey, then later celebrated his victory with his many supporters at Mill Street Crossing in Acton. Despite hearing positive feedback on his chances of winning from councillors who had spoken with many members of the public during their campaigns, Bonnette was not over-confident going into the race. "You never know until the votes come in," said Bonnette, an Acton resident. "We ran a campaign, we put up signs, we door-knocked, we advertised, we did everything you're supposed to do in a campaign to get our message out." Bonnette thanked council members who he said gave him "a lot of help." "I have to thank a lot of the public that came forward. I had people volunteering, I had people wanting to put signs up. That never happened before. I didn't have that same response three

years ago that I had this time," said Bonnette.

Challenger Heaton, a former Halton Hills councillor, was not disappointed with his results. "Thanks to the voters for giving us a mayor's race and helping to turn out the vote," said Heaton. As a challenger for the mayor's job, Heaton said he was glad to be able to give the voters a chance for an all-candidate's meeting. "I don't have all the developers funding my campaign and paying for all my signs and all my literature," said Heaton, when asked why he did so poorly in the race. Bonnette said he planned to sleep in Tuesday and spend the day taking down his lawn signs. "Then I'll be contacting the newer elected councillors, assuming there are going to be a couple, and next week I hope to be talking to the councillors again to see what committees they want to be on." Bonnette said there were no real issues that emerged during the campaign, "and even though there were a few in the community that were trying to fabricate an issue it never panned out in the end." When asked about what he hopes to accomplish over the next four years said, "the burning issue will be the growth." "This is where the Town of Halton Hills will be defining itself in the next 3-4 years when we sit down with the province wanting us to increase in size."

Halton Hills Mayor

Rick Bonnette..........10,442

Robert Heaton...........1,429

Ward 2: Rookie no match for vets

Incumbents Bryan Lewis and Joan Robson returned to council in Ward 2, both for a third term. The duo defeated challenger, Jason Hilts, a 21-year old student. "I'm delighted the voters have placed the confidence in me that they have, and I'll work very hard to meeting their expectations," said Robson, who garnered 1,459 votes. Hilts, who did not return phone calls to this newspaper, trailed with 629 votes. Lewis commended Hilts on his campaign, adding this community needs more young people like him getting involved in elections. While Lewis could not point to one particular issue that returned him to council other than "being there at a time of need (by constituents), and I pride myself on that." "It's the dialogue with the voters that makes you or breaks you," agreed Robson. "In my case with Sheridan Nurseries (a development in Glen Williams) and in Norval (traffic concerns), there was continual dialogue (with the constituents) and I think it's the same with all the issues. Growth also was a top issue in Ward 2, which could potentially see more farmlands taken over by development. "The land speculators are circulating over the countryside daily... and we (the council) have to offer clear directions as to the growth - patterns," said Lewis, so that farmers can do their own long-term planning. Other future ward issues will also be rural road improvements and ensuring "prestige" - industrial is built in the 401 Corridor.

Ward 2

Byran Lewis.............1,582

Joan Robson.............1,482

Jason Hilts...............629

HCDSB Trustee:

Challenger ousts McCauley

There will be a new face in the role of trustee for this area on the Halton Catholic District School Board for the first time in over a quarter-century as Rosanna Palmieri unseated Irene McCauley for the position in Monday's municipal election. Palmieri, a 45-year-old recently retired manufacturing business owner, received 1,238 votes to McCauley's 918, winning in her first run at politics. "Irene served us well here for the past 26 years and I'd like to wish her the best in whatever she moves on doing," said Palmieri. "I'm really look ing forward to doing this job well and to introduce some new ideas and initiatives that I've outlined in my platform." An active parent member in elementary and secondary school councils for 18 years, Palmieri, a mother of four, would also like to see some new school projects slated for Halton Hills that are currently in preliminary stages through to their completion. McCauley, 63, couldn't be reached - for comment. She has been in the rehab unit at Credit Valley Hospital for a month following a kidney transplant and mild heart attack in July, but had to been given doctor's clearance to run - for another term as trustee.

HCDSB TRUSTEE

Rosanna Palmieri...........1,243

Irene McCauley.............. 913