Markham election gets interesting with choices of new and experienced candidates

As the fall municipal election fast approaches, a wide range of candidates are out door knocking, vying for your support. The Markham Review has reached out to many of the candidates and researched their campaign websites for more information.

Whether it’s the mayor, regional councillor or ward race, your votes matter. It’s important to take the time and decide who will best represent you at council.

The mayor race will see two political neophytes take on Mayor Frank Scarpitti. Scarpitti has gained many supporters during his two decades of service, but has made a few adversaries too. One who has decided to run against him is Martin Ross.

Ross, a first-time candidate, unhappy with personal disputes with City Hall, sought to make a change himself. He is using his personal challenges with the city to better connect with Markham residents. Stephen Edgell has also entered the mayor race.

Regional councillors are elected city-wide to represent Markham on the local council and the York Regional Council. Voters can select four candidates. The person with the most votes also takes on the role of deputy mayor. Markham voters have many candidates to choose from in the regional councillor race, with 11 skilled individuals competing for four seats. Some faces are new, but some of the most intriguing storylines involve two former deputy mayors, Don Hamilton and Jack Heath, both seeking re-election after a short hiatus from municipal politics.

The current regional councillors are Michael Chan, Jim Jones, Joe Li, and Alan Ho. Only the latter three have registered to run, while Chan announced on August 20 that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election.

Ho promises to keep advocating fiercely for smart spending, safer streets, and better transit. Jones plans to focus largely on improving transit, proposing expansive changes. Li highlights creating local jobs and a safer community as primary focuses.

Another interesting challenges, though no stranger to elected office, is former member of parliament Paul Chiang who brings a combination of frontline community, public service, and political experience to the table. Amanda Yeung Collucci joins the regional race, leaving her seat of 12 years as the Ward 6 councillor. Joe Tay, who has gained significant public profile previously as a federal candidate, prides himself on quick response times to the public and intends to strengthen neighbourhood safety.

Finally, Richard Tranquada, Ivy Lee and Michael Huang are both looking for an upset in this election to secure a seat.

Markham is divided into eight wards, each with one elected local councillor. The role includes reviewing city policies and resources, with a primary focus on handling residents’ issues and concerns.

Ward 1 features one challenger, Christina Cadorin taking on Keith Irish, the incumbent councillor since 2018.

Ward 2 incumbent councillor Ritch Lau will be running against first-time candidates Mark Lin, Richard Lee and Haohui Yu.

Ward 3 Councillor Reid McAlpine is retiring, leaving an interesting race with his executive assistant Marina Antonoglou jumping into the election to run against the following four candidates: Annie Chan, Kristian Chan, current public school trustee Ron Lynn, Jack Ng and Thomas Psarianos.

Ward 4 incumbent Councillor Karen Rea’s seat looks quite safe, although Vid Sansanwal has thrown his name in again to give voters another option.

Ward 5 incumbent Councillor Andrew Keyes plans to reclaim his seat as councillor following his successful efforts to bring the Honda Indy Car race to Markham and through his work at Destination Markham. Thamiraa Ragikaran and Laurence Liang have entered the running and hope to make their political debuts as a result.

Ward 6 heats up as Councillor Yeung Collucci moves to the regional race leaving six candidates vying for this seat include Larry Lau, a military veteran with extensive experience in political operations,  Jude Ahiaegbe, Kenneth Li, Hanson Shen, Scott Xie, Patrick Yeung and Joanna Yu.

The Ward 7 seat is being held by Nimisha Patel, a long-time community activist and advocate who won the byelection last year. The other three candidates going after the recently filled seat are Killi Chelliah, Sameer Qureshi and Stanley Sam.

Finally, Ward 8 incumbent Councillor Isa Lee has Jenny Chen running against her. Chen has served as a school board trustee for the last four years.

Your votes matter and can help shape the future of Markham, so take the time to cast a ballot in this year’s municipal election. Online voting is available from October 16 to 26, and voting in-person is available from October 23 to 26.

“Markham continues to modernize its municipal elections by breaking down barriers and making voting accessible to all voters,” says City Clerk Kimberley Kitteringham. “By delivering Canada’s longest-running remote online voting program, Elections Markham is providing a secure and accessible option for voters to have their say in the upcoming election.”

In early October, Elections Markham will send a personalized voter information letter with instructions on when and how to vote.

For the complete list of candidates, visit markham.ca/elections.