Sudbury’s Municipal Election will bring some new and familiar faces to council, though unofficial results show the leadership in some ward races separated by just a few hundred ballots. With 73 per cent of the electronic results in and the paper ballots now being counted, several races are close enough to call.
The Ward 1 race is neck and neck tonight between the incumbent, Mark Signoretti, and newcomer Mark Facendi.
Only 200 votes in Signoretti’s favour separate the two, with Jordan Derro sitting at less than 300 votes.
In Ward 2, popular incumbent Michael Vagnini has a 500-vote lead over challenger Eric Benoit.
In Ward 3, Gerry Montpellier has an almost 500-vote lead over Michel Brabant.
In Ward 4, though, it is a different story. Fewer than 100 votes separate sitting councillor Geoff McCausland from challenger Pauline Fortin.
In what is likely the major upset of this election, polarizing Ward 5 incumbent Robert Kirwan has lost by a significant margin to challenger Michel Parent, who has more than 2,200 votes to Kirwan's 464. That’s an 83-per-cent separation.
"I would like to extend my congratulations to Ward 5 Councillor Elect Mike Parent," said Kirwan in a post to his Valley East community Facebook page. "I want to thank residents of Ward 5 for their support during the past two terms. It has been a privilege to serve you for the last 8 years and I wish the best of luck to your new Councillor, Mike Parent."
In Ward 6, sitting councillor René Lapierre is leading, but candidates Michel Lalonde and Scott Seguin are within a few hundred votes of him, with Ginette Trottier and Dan Boulard receiving approximately 360 votes a piece.
In Ward 7, left open after Mike Jakubo declined to seek re-election, Natalie Labbée has about a 600-vote lead over Mark McKillop, the next closest competitor. In Ward 8, sitting councillor Al Sizer has a sizable lead, with only challenger Patrick McCoy within striking distance of him — though still trailing by 400 votes.
In Ward 9, sitting councillor Deb McIntosh has a significant lead as well, with more than a 1,000 votes separating her from Leslie Steel.
In Ward 10, sitting councillor Fern Cormier is leading by a wide margin, ahead by more than 1,200 votes against challengers Jolene Felsbourg-Linton (861) and Michael Sanders (594).
In Ward 11, sitting councillor Bill Leduc was returned, with a 1,000-vote lead over Christopher Duncanson-Hales.
And finally, in Ward 12, sitting councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann has a 300-vote lead over Jeff MacIntyre.
