It was close, closer than he would have liked, he later said, but Al McDonald has received a third mandate from the voters of North Bay to continue as mayor.
McDonald made clear in the media scrum in the lobby of City Hall that this would be his last term as mayor. He also commended opponent Gary Gardiner on his campaign and said he hoped the runner-up would consider running for office in 2022. In turn, immediately after learning of the unofficial results, Gardiner declared that “this was his chance,” and he would not be running as a candidate again.
McDonald said tonight, “Regardless of the outcome everyone who put their names on the ballot have our respect and thanks. Running for elected office means standing up for what you believe in.”
Asked if his first close mayoral race had energized him, McDonald agreed that it had. “The work starts now.”
“I look forward to working with the incoming council,” said McDonald. “Of course there will be challenges, and it will take new members of council some time to get up to speed, but there is lots of work to be done.”
See: Election 2018: North Bay Mayoral Results
Four first-time councillors in Johanne Brousseau (who garnered the second most votes in the council race), Bill Vrebosch, Scott Robertson and Marcus Tignanelli were elected. Dave Mendicino, who did not make the top ten in 2014 was returned to council by the voters, as well.
Incumbents re-elected include Tanya Vrebosch in the deputy mayor’s seat, Mike Anthony, Chris Mayne, Mark King and Mac Bain.
George Maroosis, Derek Shogren and Jeff Serran were the incumbents who lost seats, along with Sheldon Forgette who finished third in the race for mayor, and Daryl Vaillancourt who did not run.
See: Election 2018: North Bay City Council Results
“I proposed a number of ideas in this election,” said McDonald. “Some will require changes in the way council and City Hall work for the people. This means amending the procedural bylaw and putting in place the changes needed for North Bay to have a ward system.”
McDonald said, “It’s an honour and privilege to represent North Bay and the people who call this city home.”
For many, the first order of business will be the development of the 2019 municipal budget.
“I want to thank all those who supported and voted for me,” McDonald said. “The next four years will be about positive growth, everyone is tired of the negative rhetoric. I encourage the incoming council to arrive prepared to move forward with the agenda I was elected on.”
