Groves returned to council

November 7, 2014 · 0 Comments

Annette Groves

By Bill Rea
Former councillor Annette Groves is getting her old job back.
In a close contest in last Monday’s municipal election, Groves frustrated incumbent Patti Foley in her bid for a second term as Regional representative for Ward 5 on Caledon council.
Groves was just 79 votes ahead, according to the official figures released by the Town earlier this week. She received 2,676 votes, good for 50.75 per cent, to Foley’s 2,597.
“It was an interesting night,” Groves commented in the aftermath of her victory.
“I think it’s what the community was saying right from the get-go,” she added, commenting that people wanted to be involved in major decisions in town. “They thought they had been shut out.”
“The public has to be involved 100 per cent before decisions are made,” she declared, adding that’s going to be her top priority.
“I’m surprised that the voter turnout wasn’t higher,” Foley commented after the election, observing that she thought during the campaign that people were engaged. She stated that a higher turnout might have made a difference.
Less than a third of the eligible voters got out.
“We don’t have any regrets,” she added. “We ran a very clean campaign.”
“I had an amazing team of volunteers,” she said, adding it consisted of more than 60 “really dedicated people.”
Foley said she was not bitter over the result.
“I think we did everything right,” she remarked. “We did everything clean, without breaking any rules or bylaws.”
As for the future, Foley said her plans at this point consist of “probably taking a short vacation.”
Looking at the new Caledon council, Foley said she was “extremely happy” that Allan Thompson will be the next mayor, adding she was pleased that incumbents like Rob Mezzapelli and Nick deBoer were re-elected. She said it remains to be seen how up to the task the new councillors are.
This was one race that saw a wide variance at the numbers at the various polling stations.
Foley had a respectable lead at the advance poll at Albion-Bolton Community Centre (ABCC), with 529 to 415, and at the election day station at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness, with 843 to 627. But things were the other way around at two other polling stations. Groves was up 501 to 277 at St. John the Baptist Elementary School and 647 to 430 at Holy Family Church. The election day poll at ABCC was a lot closer, with Foley holding a 502 to 485 edge.