Barrie's municipal election dance cards filling up

Barrie’s city council election race is getting crowded.

Since nominations opened May 2, 22 candidates for mayor and ward councillors have filed their nomination papers.

Nominations close Aug. 19 ahead of the Oct. 24 election.

Alex Nuttall, Rob Haverson, Gerry Marshall and Barry Ward are running to replace Mayor Jeff Lehman, who is not seeking re-election after 12 years heading council.

Nuttall, 36, served two terms on council, from 2006-2014, and also as Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP from 2015 until 2019.

Haverson, 33, who owns a car detailing company, has no political experience.

Marshall, 66, is the former mayor of Penetanguishene (2010-2018), former Simcoe County warden (2014-2018), ran as the Liberal candidate for Simcoe North in the 2018 Ontario election and in Barrie’s Ward 3 by-election in 2020. 

Ward, 64, has been a Barrie councillor for 22 years and the last four also served as deputy mayor. He was also acting mayor when Lehman ran for MPP in the June 2 Ontario election.

In the 10 races for ward councillors, incumbents Clare Riepma, Robert Thomson and Gary Harvey remain unopposed in Wards 1, 5 and 7.

In Ward 2, Craig Nixon is the only candidate at this point; first-term Coun. Keenan Aylwin is the incumbent.

Incumbent Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl is opposed by Zohaib Tahir in Ward 3, while three candidates have filed their papers in Ward 4, as incumbent Barry Ward is running for mayor. Ward 4’s candidates are Donald McLaurin, Tim Abel and Ajmal Noushahi.

Coun. Natalie Harris is not seeking re-election in Ward 6, where the candidates are Nigussie Nigussie, Darryl Duff, Kevin LePage and Sharon Doran.

Jim Harris is the incumbent councillor in Ward 8, but only John Webb has filed nomination papers there.

Norman Costello is opposing two-term Coun. Sergio Morales in Ward 9.

Bryn Hamilton and Steven Mirtsos are the candidates in Ward 10, where Coun. Mike McCann is the incumbent but has not filed nomination papers.

The nomination period for candidates closes Aug. 19 at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit barrie.ca.