Shaughnessy is not planning to run for the Grits

May 27, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
Rumours are making the rounds that Caledon Councillor Barb Shaughnessy is planning to run for the Liberals in the next Provincial election.
Shaughnessy is on a crusade to put a stop to these stories.
She brought the issue up at Tuesday’s Town council meeting, stating she had a meeting last week with Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, at which she said Jones had confirmed hearing of such stories.
Shaughnessy was elected regional representative for Ward 1 a little more than a year and a half ago, and she said she’s still committed to the people who put her in office.
“I have no intention of abandoning them,” she declared.
Shaughnessy has also written a letter to Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown (copies of which she distributed to the media Tuesday night), informing him that party members are hearing stories of her plans to run against Jones in the next election, calling those stories “blatantly false.”
She added this story line involves negotiations between her husband and a developer to finance her campaign.
“For many in Caledon, this developer is viewed negatively,” she wrote.
“The rumour is a complete fabrication,” Shaughnessy declared in her letter. “It is malicious in nature and potentially disruptive to the harmony between me and other levels of government that I interact with as a councillor for the Town of Caledon and the Region of Peel.”
Shaughnessy has called upon Brown to investigate the source of the rumour.
“Your party should not be used as a vehicle for a select group of people to meddle in local politics,” she stated. “I look forward to hearing from your office on the actions you propose to take.”