IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: This article originally appeared on ThoroldToday on Oct. 28.
It took a few days longer than every other municipality in Niagara, but Thorold has finally certified the results of last Monday's election.
As is the standard practice with municipal elections, the city clerk has to certify the election results before they can be deemed official.
Most municipalities in Niagara had their official results up by Tuesday afternoon, the day after municipal elections across Ontario. But Thorold waited until Friday to post them on the city's official website.
In a press statement, Thorold City Hall said the results were actually certified on Wednesday Oct. 26. So why wait until Friday to announce them?
City Hall explained to ThoroldToday that the reason they held off on the announcement was the school board election.
Because Thorold shares one school board trustee with St. Catharines, and one trustee with Pelham, the city held off on sharing its results publicly until it had conferred with those municipalities to make sure the numbers were aligned.
As ThoroldToday reported, there weren't many surprises in Monday's election — but there was one razor-close race.
Incumbent councillor Jim Handley won the eighth and final spot on council by just three votes — 1,454 to 1,451 — over fellow incumbent Victoria Wilson. Although some wondered whether the tight race would trigger a recount, the city's election policy says recounts only occur in the case of a tie.
Voter turnout was very low this year. Of Thorold's 17,992 eligible voters, only 4,508 (24.99 per cent) cast a ballot in the municipal election. In 2018, 5,219 ballots were cast.
The newly elected council members will attend an inaugural meeting on Nov. 22, where they will swear the oath of office of their respective positions. Their term of council will begin Nov. 15 and will run until November 2026.
Official Thorold Election Results:
Mayor of Thorold
Terry Ugulini
City Councillors
Anthony Longo
Carmen DeRose
David (Jim) Handley
Henry D’Angela
Ken Sentance
Mike De Divitiis
Nella Dekker
Tim O’Hare
Regional Councillor
Tim Whalen
2022 School Board Trustee – English Public
Nancy Beamer
2022 School Board Trustee – English Separate
Rhianon Burkholder
2022 School Board Trustee – French Separate
Melinda Chartrand (Acclaimed)
Please note, there were no candidates for 2022 School Board Trustee – French Public.
