Friday, April 11, 2014

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Got to thinking about past elections and the election of 2006 came to mind. Wayne Redekop decided to not seek re-election so the mayor's chain was up for grabs.

Doug Martin threw his hat in the ring, supported by business people and well-established fellow Conservatives. We all know how that turned out.

John Papadakis registered for the mayoral election. He had served as a councillor in East York (Toronto) in the early 1990s and had been a permanent resident of Fort Erie for several years.

Tom Lewis, elected to Ward 5 in 2003 when he was only nineteen, decided to try to set a record for being the youngest mayor in the province, perhaps all of Canada.

There was a spirited give-and-take and it seemed like Martin might fall, but, at the last minute, extra funding and support pushed Martin to victory.

So, where are John and Tom now?

John Papdakis moved back to Toronto to continue his career as a paralegal. He is now running for Toronto councillor in Ward 29 in his old riding in East York.

Tom Lewis has moved to Mississauga and is administrative aide to a Mississauga MPP.

Both have continued their work in the political sphere and both hope to make a difference.

Of course, the victor, Doug Martin went on to make a deadly mistake fostered by former town planner Rino Mostacci to give away the public waterfront property in Bay Beach. In 2010, he came within five votes of being defeated by former Ward 6 Councillor Ann Marie Noyes.

Ann Marie Noyes has continued her work as a physical therapist. She recently won a FOI case where she requested certain documents and information from the Fort Erie EDTC and had been refused by Jim Thibert, the GM of the EDTC. Claims that she already had the information were dismissed and the EDTC was ordered to provide her the information originally requested.

It is rumoured that Wayne Redekop will throw his hat in the ring to run again for mayor of Fort Erie.

Rino Mostacci has taken his lofty dreams to Markham where a controversial arena is on the planning table.

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