Half of Kingston, Ontario. Lawmakers not seeking re-election this fall

Elections for City Hall in Kingston, Ontario officially begin this weekend. The deadline for submitting candidature documents is Friday, August 19th.

Only half of the current city council members are running for seats again, and six electoral districts are contesting.

Read more: Kingston, Ontario.

With six of her candidates running for the Portsmouth district, Bridget Doherty stepped down after her one term.

"Well, it was actually a very difficult decision," she says Doherty. “But I have other responsibilities that need to take precedence.”

Doherty said she learned a lot during her tenure as a council and how the council will help the community. She says she feels it has really made a difference. She emphasizes the importance of local government politics and its impact on residents' daily lives.

"Many people may think that local government politics is not as important as state or federal level, but it is probably the most important one," she says. "Because this is where all policies at all levels of government really affect people."

, along with Mary Rita Holland, Jim Neill and Rob Hutchison, are one of six lawmakers not seeking re-election.

Mayor Brian Patterson Running for office again, he has one challenger.

Tina Fraser is the only person running for mayor, stating that her residence is her number one priority.

"We want to serve and take care of our citizens and locals first," she says. "The pandemic has created a lot of mental health issues for people, and I think Brian Patterson has done a great job developing our city and getting it to a point where there is enough housing. We can have people in housing by the end of December.”

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Fraser has already initiated public engagements, ranging from downtown closures to snow removal problems. , we have heard various concerns.

"All these issues people are talking about are personal," says Fraser. "So win or lose, I think it's going to be a great year. The next one will be able to talk to citizens and really hear their voices." }

Local government campaigns will run for just over two months from Election Day on 24 October.

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