After a 20-year absence as head of city council in St. Thomas, Jeff Kohler was elected mayor on Monday by a decisive margin. He defeated runner-up Aidan Frederick by nearly 5,000 votes.Kohler garnered 7,407 votes to 2,641 for Frederick.
Corey Janzen was a distant third with 745 votes. Campaigning on a 20-year-old credit card issue obviously did not resonate with voters.
The surprises and upsets were confined to the 18 individuals seeking one of eight seats on council.
With Kohler’s seat vacant, at least one new face would be present in the council chamber beginning mid-November.
Few would have predicted, however, that three incumbents would not be returning.
Jim Herbert, Earl Taylor and Joan Rymal lost favour with the majority of the electorate and were sent packing.
Another surprise is the return of former mayor Heather Jackson, after an unsuccessful mayoral run in 2022. She also sought a third term as mayor in 2018, but finished second to Joe Preston.
She was a last-minute addition to the roster of 19 candidates jockeying for a seat and it should come as no surprise that a key platform issue this time around is fiscal responsibility.
Make no mistake, she will be a force in the council chamber.
One candidate, Steve Ogden, dropped out of the race on the eve of advance polling.The three deserving newcomers are Mike Brisson, who finished an impressive third in voting; Kyle Yates and Joe Docherty Jr., who snatched the final seat away from Herbert.
Here are the official results from Monday night, with 2022 results in brackets:
Steve Wookey – 6,292 (5,564)
Lori Baldwin-Sands – 6,075 (5,057)
Mike Brisson – 5,834
Gary Clarke – 5,734 (4,811)
Heather Jackson – 5,208
Kyle Yates – 5,103
Rose Gibson – 4,544 (3,266)
Joe Docherty Jr. – 4,050
Jim Herbert – 3,959 (3,512)
Earl Taylor – 3,946 (3,096)
Joan Rymal – 3,023
Kay Vaughan – 2,067
Malachi Male – 2,040
Geoff Mountenay – 1,447
Sandra Hamill – 1,172
Steve Ogden – 1,138
Chris Delandes – 1,080
Christopher Staddon -1,021
Gibbs Diobe – 508
The voter turnout was a dismal 29.91 per cent, down from 30.6 per cent in 2022.
The new council will be sworn in during the Nov. 16 meeting.
JEFF KOHLER: ARE YOU ON THE BUS OR NOT?
We connected with mayor-elect Jeff Kohler on Wednesday (Oct. 28) as he prepares to assume his new role.
He admitted the composition of the incoming council comes as a surprise.
“In all honesty, I was shocked that three of them were replaced, and they are certainly going to be missed around the table.”
He has communicated with Coun. Rymal, and “I am hoping that she’ll be open to some discussions because I certainly appreciate her wisdom, and I am looking forward to continuing our friendship, and the same with Jim (Coun. Jim Herbert) and see what we can do to ensure that they stay involved and keep giving us the input that they were so good at doing when they were sitting around the table.Unfortunately, with her, somehow, it went around that she was appointed to council with a deal not to run in the election. And I’m certainly not aware of any deal like that being entered into.
“And I know when Joe (Mayor Joe Preston) tendered his resignation, the field certainly changed. And when I had made my decision to run, I approached her and asked her if she was considering running.”
Kohler continued, “You know, I’m not sure what went on through the minds of voters, but at the end of the day, they’ve assembled a fairly good team, and there’s a good nucleus of current council members, and at the end of the day, we’re going to work with everybody, and how people choose to fit in will be the biggest part, because the majority of the members of council are committed to continuing to move the momentum forward as we have been doing.
“And at the end of the day, it’ll be get on the bus or get off. We have serious work to do, and we’re going to do it. We’ll continue to function as a team, but if there’s some individuals who choose not to work the way we’ve been working in the last eight years, then that will be their own decision. And I’m sure that it will show for the public.
“What they worked toward in their campaign might be a little bit difficult to do under the current situation because we do have a good financial plan in place to make sure that we’re not having too great an impact on the ratepayers.”
“We’ve got to hit the road running. I’m going to be sitting down with the new members of council and filling them in as much as I can and answering any of the questions that they have.
“The three new people, I’ve worked really close with during the campaign. Whenever they had questions, I told them, give me a call, let me know what it is. And I have had several conversations with Mike, Joe, and Kyle. So they’ve got a pretty good feeling of what it entails and what needs to be done. And I’m sure that they’re going to be fully behind everything. But we have got a pretty big agenda ahead of us, and we’re going to continue to move things forward in a positive manner.”
Kohler continued, “What they worked toward in their campaign might be a little bit difficult to do under the current situation because we do have a good financial plan in place to make sure that we’re not having too great an impact on the ratepayers.
“But if some people want to be forceful with some of the projects that they promised during the election, we could see a totally different budget, but I’m pretty sure that the majority of the members are going to stick with the plan that we have in place and continue to move things forward.”
“And as long as we continue to have those discussions, we’ll continue to come up with the plans that will move our city forward as we have been.”
As to his return as the head of council, Kohler admitted, “I’m pretty excited to get in. I’ve met with the city manager and many of the managers already, and we’ve had a good working relationship before this, working with them as a member of council.
“One of the things that I take pride in, and our council should take pride in, is that we’ve been able to assemble, in my opinion, the best team ever.
“When I was mayor last time, I had no city manager. We definitely have a great management team right now that I’m looking forward to working with. And that goes right back to working with (former City Manager) Sandra Datars Bere as we started to assemble the team and bring people on like (Executive Director, Industrial Development) Justin Lawrence and Adam Boylan in the Treasury Department. So I’m looking forward to it. We have a strong team.
“And as long as we continue to have those discussions, we’ll continue to come up with the plans that will move our city forward as we have been.”
A NEW LOOK COUNCIL IN CENTRAL ELGIN
Former deputy mayor and two-term councillor Dennis Crevits was elected mayor of Central Elgin, defeating challenger Morgaine Griffin in Monday’s municipal election.
He lost out to current mayor Andrew Sloan in the 2022 municipal election.Crevits received 2,552 votes, or 54.33 per cent, compared to Griffin’s 2,145 votes, or 45.67 per cent.
He had originally sought the deputy mayor’s position, but changed course when Sloan announced he would not seek re-election.
Griffin is the Ward 2 councillor in her first term of office. She had been right out of the gate with her nomination papers after the filing period opened on May 1.
Lisa Harrison won Ward 1, Linda Westaway took Ward 2, Aron West prevailed in Ward 3, and Tom Marks won Ward 4 by a narrow margin.
Harrison received 1,198 votes, or 81.17 per cent of the vote in Ward 1. Westaway won Ward 2 with 577 votes, or 49.02 per cent.
West received 394 votes, representing 59.88 per cent of the vote in Ward 3.
Marks garnered 223 votes in Ward 4, just five more than David Conners. Leigh Mauer finished with 209 votes.
Voter turnout in Central Elgin was 34.5 per cent, with 4,724 ballots cast out of 13,693 eligible voters.
Shortly after the final tally, we caught up with Crevits in Port Stanley.
“Yes, I’m very happy to be back. It’s been a lot of work,” acknowledged Crevits.
He credited the work of his campaign team and added, “I really am focusing on a collaboration of the council. I think we have to have a meeting, get together, and work together as a council. The collaboration is important to help Central Elgin move forward.
“There are too many things happening. We need a unanimous council here that is working as a team.”
“Now that I know the results of the election, I’ll be going to the municipal building this week to start getting up to speed on the current issues. Because I have been out for a couple of years, it’s going to take a little while to get up to speed, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do it quite quickly.”
Crevits anticipates an announcement on the former psychiatric hospital lands in the near future.
“I can see that still coming within the next couple of weeks. The province didn’t want to make it an election issue, but I haven’t heard precisely when they’re going to announce, make the full announcements on who the contractors are.”
We asked Crevits if the final results reflected a dissatisfaction with the present council.
“I don’t know if animosity is the word, but there was some heat at times with the members that were there.
“There are too many things happening. We need a unanimous council here that is working as a team. I’m not going to say anything bad against the last council; they did a wonderful job, and I’m happy for it, but if there is disagreement within the council, it may slow processes down, so that’s the Number 1 thing.
“We need to be collaborative. We have to be that way. What I want to do now is, with the newly elected council, I’d like to take all of council and go around the municipality and look at the issues and try to get a better feel for the municipality from Day 1. We can’t wait a month, two months for this. We have to start right away.
“I was here 26 years ago. I know the history of the area and I want to keep our history moving and growing. The entire municipality has changed. We have our growth in the Belmont area with the new school.
“I have concerns right now. I’ll be honest about the Highway 3 bypass and how that’s going to affect our municipality. Also concerns with transit, but the hospital lands are the big thing we have to focus on.”
THE PITCH TO SAVE EMSLIE FIELD GRANDSTAND
The contentious issue of the grandstand at Emslie Field is back before council at Monday’s (Nov. 2) meeting.
Instead of demolishing the existing grandstand that dates back to 1938, Cody Montgomery, Manager of Parks and Forestry, is recommending minimal structural rehabilitation with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) upgrades.
Last November, council received a report detailing the structural condition of the Emslie Grandstand and subsequently approved $600,000 within the 2026 Capital Budget toward addressing the future of the facility.POW Peterman Consulting Engineers undertook the assessment, which determined “that the grandstand could not remain open without significant repairs due to structural deficiencies, deteriorated wood and steel components, roofing failure, and accessibility shortcomings.”
The consultant presented two rehabilitation options: a full rehabilitation estimated at $1.172 million and a minimum structural rehabilitation with AODA upgrades estimated at $785,950.
A third option involves demolition and replacement of the structure with a modern grandstand.
Montgomery’s report notes that Option 2: Minimum Structural Rehabilitation with AODA Upgrades “will address the immediate structural deficiencies and accessibility requirements identified within the grandstand while preserving the historic character and appearance of the facility.
“The proposed work includes rehabilitation of the existing structural steel and concrete, replacement of approximately 30 per cent of deficient wood roof joists, installation of a new metal roof over the existing deck, replacement of eavestroughs and downspouts, extension of the main aisleway to meet AODA requirements, construction of an accessible ramp and new stairway, installation of a new west parapet and railing, and additional safety improvements, while retaining the existing wood benches and brackets.”“Demolition would alter the historic character of Emslie Field and could jeopardize donor contributions currently contingent upon preservation of the existing structure, potentially increasing the municipal funding requirement.”
The report continues, “Although the structural engineer estimates a service life of approximately 15 years following rehabilitation and notes the potential for accelerated deterioration due to the continued use of wood components and the omission of a waterproofing membrane, the option provides a practical and cost-effective solution that balances public safety, accessibility improvements, heritage preservation, and community expectations.”
St. Thomas Minor Baseball has committed $100,000 toward the rehabilitation, “contingent upon preservation of the existing structure,” and other community supporters have expressed interest in contributing financially to restoration efforts.
Demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new modern grandstand has an estimated price tag of $971,000, with a lifespan of approximately 40 to 50 years with reduced maintenance.
Montgomery concludes, “Demolition would alter the historic character of Emslie Field and could jeopardize donor contributions currently contingent upon preservation of the existing structure, potentially increasing the municipal funding requirement.
“For these reasons, staff recommend proceeding with Option 2 to address current safety and accessibility concerns while preserving a valued community asset and leveraging significant community investment.”
If approved by council, the work would be completed next year.
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FOR THE CALENDAR
The City of St. Thomas has received funding to support the development of a Climate Adaptation Analysis and Plan. The Plan will assess how current and future climate conditions could affect St. Thomas and identify actions the city can take to reduce risks, protect infrastructure and services, and strengthen community resilience.
The project will provide a roadmap to help inform municipal planning, infrastructure investments, emergency preparedness, and long-term decision-making.
The public is invited to a workshop on Nov. 10, running from 1 to 4 p.m. at the St. Thomas Public Library.
Registration is required, and the deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 6.
For more information and to register, visit https://speakupstthomas.ca/caap
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
