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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 1, 20 22 | 12 Any concerns around the scarcity of candidates for this fall's municipal elec- tion were unfounded. A flurry of activity lead- ing up to the Aug. 19 dead- line to register for the Octo- ber election saw many new names emerge, creating crowded fields for mayor's jobs in Kitchener (five can- didates), Waterloo (four candidates) and Cambridge (four candidates). There's also a multi-person race (three candidates) for re- gional chair. Sadly, there will be no races at all for the top politi- cal jobs in Wellesley and North Dumfries, where in- cumbent mayors Joe No- wak and Sue Foxton will be acclaimed. It's not that No- wak and Foxton have done a poor job. It's simply sad that no other candidate stepped forward to compete for the township's top political job. Perhaps lost in that late flurry of activity ahead of the deadline, though, was the absence of John Gazzo- la's name. For the first time since a 2002 byelection, Gazzola's name will not appear as a candidate for Ward 3 in Kitchener. Prior to his run for office, Gazzola was a City of Kitchener employee for almost 30 years, mean- ing his decision to not seek re-election ends an almost 50-year connection to the city and its operation. Gazzola is not the only long-serving councillor to decide to step away from public office as we head into a municipal election that promises significant change. The greatest will be seen at the region, where the 16- member council will be turned over by at least half. While new faces and new ideas are always welcomed, we'd be remiss without not- ing the loss of experience. Just three departing re- gional councillors -- Tom Galloway, Sean Strickland and Karl Kiefer -- represent about a century of com- bined political experience between them. Announced departures also mean fully half of Waterloo's next coun- cil will be fresh-faced, while in Cambridge, there are three wards without an in- cumbent candidate. Inter- estingly, two of those in- cumbent-free races in Cam- bridge feature a Karahalios, as both Belinda and hus- band Jim have stepped for- ward to run. This is likely not a coinci- dence. While there's no rule that states a candidate must live in the ward where they're running, unless Belinda and Jim live separately, they can't simultaneously live in Ward 3 and Ward 5, where they're running. Giv- en the well-established ad- vantages of incumbency, choosing to run in wards where there is no incum- bent is certainly a way of im- proving one's chances of winning. The Karahalioses are not political newbies, each hav- ing run provincially this year under Ontario's New Blue banner, a new political party founded by Jim. Since another provincial election campaign will begin before this term of municipal council ends, it remains to be seen if the couple are con- tent with municipal politics, should they be successful come October. And then there's the mat- ter of the Waterloo Region District School Board, a lo- cal government entity that has attracted more public interest of late than at any other time I can remember. It remains to be seen if this interest translates into ac- tivity at the polls. Whatever the case, the candidates have done their jobs and put their names forward for our consideration. Our job now is to weigh the options and be sure to cast a ballot on Oct. 24. Columnist Mike Farwell is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @farwell_WR, or connect with him via Mike.Farwell@rci.rog- ers.com. OPINION FLURRY OF ACTIVITY SEES MANY HATS IN THE RING FOR LOCAL ELECTION OUR JOB NOW IS TO WEIGH THE OPTIONS AND BE SURE TO CAST A BALLOT ON OCT. 24, WRITES MIKE FARWELL MIKE FARWELL Column SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA Cut out paying more Your only destination for more coupons, more flyers, more savings. #SavingWithSave Save $1.00 On One (1) Green Giant* Riced Veggies 283-340 g bag or Seasoned Corn 269 g bag *T.M. of / MC de B&G Foods North America, Inc., used under license / utilisée sous license. save.ca/couponsScan to get coupons It's always the right time to fi nd your perfect home Start your search on HomeFinder.ca