Sean O'Meara
Sean O'meara with dog
It was a night for incumbents in Oakville and throughout Halton as virtually all returning candidates were re-elected. Two-term Oakville Mayor Rob Burton romped to a lopsided victory over challenger John McLaughlin, garnering 27,727 votes (67 percent) to McLaughlin’s 9,947 (24 percent). The other three candidates each received less than 5 percent of the vote. In his post-victory comments, Burton attributed his victory to the fact that “Oakville is a very safe and livable community”.
Town-wide the turnout was 41,921 or 33.34 percent of eligible voters, down from 2010, when the turnout for the municipal election was approximately 40 percent. In neighbouring Burlington, where there was an online advance voting option this time, the turnout was 34 percent, down from nearly 38 percent in 2010.
In his post-victory comments, Burton attributed his victory to the fact that, “Oakville is a very safe and livable community.”
The Wards
The one Oakville ward where a challenger upset an incumbent was Ward 1 (Bronte), where in the race for Town and Regional Councillor newcomer Sean O’Meara, a one-time aide to MPP Kevin Flynn, had a surprisingly easy upset victory over two-term incumbent Alan Johnston.
The most closely contested seat was in Ward 5 (north central Oakville), where former mayor Ann Mulvale went up against two-term incumbent Jeff Knoll for Town and Regional Councillor. The hotly contested race centred on traffic congestion, air traffic noise, and Mayor Burton’s potential consideration of a municipal land transfer tax. In the end, Knoll prevailed by the thinnest margin of victory in the Halton region, outlasting Mulvale 3846 to 3706.
New Town Councillor for Ward 3 is Nick Hutchins.New Town Councillor for Ward 3 is Nick Hutchins.
Throughout the campaign, Mulvale had made an issue of incumbency and Mayor Burton’s endorsement of a “ticket” consisting completely of those already holding office. However, in addition to O’Meara, recent addition Dave Gittings was elected as Ward 3 (south east, lakeshore) Town and Regional Councillor. Previously, Gittings had been filling out the term of retired Councillor Keith Bird. Also, in Ward 3, newcomer Nick Hutchins was elected as Town Councillor with 23 percent of the vote in a crowded field of eight contestants.
Despite some campaign discussion of his dual municipal and federal candidacies, Ward 6 Councillor Max Khan romped to victory with over 85 percent of the vote. It was in Ward 6 (north east Oakville) where the most one-sided victory was recorded with Tom Adams attracting over 93 percent of the vote against Kinder Sidhu.
Oakville also favoured Gary Carr over his three rivals for Halton Regional Chair, giving Carr over 80 percent of the votes cast.
The Issues
Across all wards the issue of preserving and protecting the quality of life was pivotal. In northern wards, that played out as a discussion about how to deal with the increasing noise from Pearson Airport air traffic. There was also widespread concern over gridlock and traffic congestion. Virtually every candidate pledged to hold the line on municipal spending and tax increases.
A number of challengers raised the issue of the fairness of Mayor Burton’s endorsement of a “ticket” of incumbents. It apparently had little measurable impact in the results. However, during the campaign, opponent John McLaughlin filed a complaint alleging misconduct by the Mayor. The issue will be taken up by the incoming council.
Detailed, unofficial results: elections.oakville.ca
