Four newcomers elected to Caledon Council

By Zachary Roman

Caledon's municipal election featured a number of close races and its Council now has a number of new faces.

Voting in Caledon's 2022 municipal election finished on October 24 and we now know who will be representing Caledon residents in the four years to come. 

In Ward 1, incumbent Lynn Kiernan hung on for a close win against her only challenger, Kate Hepworth. Kiernan, who served her first term on Caledon Council from 2018 to 2022, beat Hepworth by just 93 votes. She received 1,524 to Hepworth's 1,431.

Ward 2 had a wide-open race with four candidates vying for the position after incumbent Christina Early decided to run for the Regional Councillor, Wards 1, 2 and 3 position.

Dave Sheen took home a win in the ward, with 1,559 votes in his favour. Coming in second place was Jagraj Sekhon, who received 1,100 votes exactly. In third place was Hunar Kahlon with 866 votes, and in fourth was John Ruscetta with 275.

Since Caledon's Ward structure changed for the 2022 election, Ward 3 residents got to vote for a Councillor to represent their ward and their ward only. Previously, they elected an area and regional councillor for Wards 3 and 4.

Incumbent Ward 3 and 4 Councillor Nick deBoer ran for the Ward 4 Councillor position, leaving the Ward 3 race open to four candidates who fought hard for the job.

Earning a close victory on election night was Doug Maskell, who received 980 votes. Behind him was Derek Clark with 737 votes, Arjun McNeill with 433 votes, and Anna Murray with 221 votes.

The race for Ward 4 Councillor was another close one, with the incumbent eking out a win like in Ward 1. Nick deBoer, who has been in office in Caledon since 2003, beat challenger Cheryl Connors by just 120 votes, receiving 1,085 to her 965.

Bolton was split into two different wards for the 2022 municipal election, with residents voting for a Ward 5 or Ward 6 Councillor depending on where they lived.

Incumbent Ward 5 Councillor Tony Rosa ran for the same position he held from 2018 to 2022, and the votes indicated residents were happy with his performance as Ward 5 Councillor since he took home a commanding win.

Rosa received 2,414 votes, with challengers Rob Ricciardi and Stacie Roberts receiving 715 and 496 respectively.

The newly-created Ward 6 had four people seeking election. When the polls closed, Cosimo Napoli was the winner with 1,131 votes. In second was Angela Panacci with 849, and following her were Lucrezia Chiappetta and Mary Balinov with 368 and 193 respectively.

In the upcoming term of council, Caledon will only have two Regional Councillors sitting at the Region of Peel council table, compared to the four it had before. These councillors will represent multiple Caledon wards at the Caledon Council table and regional table. 

Elected for the Regional Councillor, Wards 1, 2 and 3 position was incumbent Ward 2 Councillor Christina Early. She served her first term in Caledon from 2018 to 2022 and will now be taking on more responsibilities as she serves again through to 2026.

Early won her seat by over 1,000 votes, receiving 3,911 compared to next-closest challenger Ramat Gill's 2,812. Coming in third place was Tom Sweeney with 1,972 votes, and in fourth, Giacomo Giuliano with 427.

All four challengers for the Regional Councillor, Wards 4, 5 and 6 position this election were political newcomers in Caledon — at least when it comes to serving on Council.

Mario Russo won the race for the position, receiving 3,365 votes. Anthony Caputo was the runner up for the role with 2,592 votes. In third place was former Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Trustee Frank DiCosola with 1,774 votes, and in fourth, Bhondi Manjit Saini with 405.