Tight mayoral races in cities across Ontario

Published Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 10:20AM EDTLast updated Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 1:00PM EDT30 comments

Ontarians head to the polls Monday to elect their mayors, councillors and other municipal officials.

Voters in several cities face hotly contested mayoral races, including in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, London and Ottawa. Polls are open until 8 p.m. ET.

In Toronto, the battle for the mayor’s chair is between Rob Ford and George Smitherman, who recent opinion polls suggest are virtually tied. Joe Pantalone is running a distant third.

Mr. Ford defined the campaign with his cost-cutting message and Mr. Smitherman, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister who was initially considered the man to beat, was forced to adapt his message.

Given that the polls are so close, turnout will play a huge factor in determining who becomes the city’s next mayor. Advance polls recorded a huge increase in turnout, with 77,397 people casting early ballots.

The divisive nature of the campaign was illustrated this weekend when a Tamil radio advertisement and derogatory signs denigrated Mr. Smitherman’s homosexuality. Mr. Ford, an Etobicoke councillor, said neither he nor his campaign were behind the ads or the signs.

In the most closely watched election in decades in Mississauga, several challengers have lined up to take shots at legendary incumbent mayor Hazel McCallion. In previous elections, Ms. McCallion has taken more than 90 per cent of the vote. She is expected to win again this year, but political watchers will pay close attention to the vote tally to judge whether her support is slipping.

In Vaughan, incumbent Linda Jackson is facing challengers Maurizio Bevilacqua and Mario Racco. Defamatory lawn signs recently cropped up around the city accusing the three front-runners of a mixture of criminal activity and personal transgressions.

In London, Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best is being challenged by Joe Fontana in a tight race. Mr. Fontana, a former Liberal MP, unsuccessfully challenged Ms. DeCicco-Best during the last election.

In Ottawa, incumbent Mayor Larry O’Brien is trailing behind frontrunner Jim Watson, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister. In an unprecedented move, Mr. O’Brien apologized to Ottawa residents earlier this month, characterizing the first two years of his term as a “disaster.”

After polls close at 8 p.m., come back to globeandmail.com for live coverage of the Toronto mayoral race as well as live results for Toronto council seats and key races in the GTA.

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