Patrick Brown, ousted earlier this year as Ontario Progressive Conservative leader, has scored a political comeback, winning the Brampton mayoralty.
Brown garnered 40,952 votes – 44.7 per cent of the ballots cast with 83 per cent of polls reporting — beating out Linda Jeffrey. Jeffrey first became mayor in 2014 when she replaced Susan Fennell , who served as Brampton mayor for 14 years.
For his part, Brown made headlines earlier this year when he was forced to resign from the PC leadership following allegations of sexual misconducted dating back to his time as an MP. Brown, who many expected to be Ontario's new premier before the allegations, vehemently denied them.
Following the allegations, a PC Party vetting committee maintained Brown was eligible on to run for the leadership. He held on amid sharp criticism until withdrawing in February.
In July, he turned heads again when he joined Brampton's mayoral race on the last day for candidate registration. The surprise move had Jeffrey, who has lived in the city for 35 years, raising immediate criticism and questioning Brown's ties to the city. Brown countered, saying he'd practised law there before and after his time in provincial politics, slamming Jeffrey's leadership as ineffective.
Speaking on CBC Radio just ahead of the election, San Grewal, editor in chief of online Brampton news outlet The Pointer, said a win by Brown would say more about Jeffrey than it would about the former PC leader.
"I think it speaks to the lack of leadership that Brampton has seen," Grewal said.
Exploding growth
The contentious race showed no signs of letting up as voters headed to the polls.
Brampton's mayoral race took place against a backdrop of exploding growth. With more than 600,000 residents and a population growing at 2.5 times the national average, the suburb is on pace to become one of Canada's largest municipalities.
Longtime residents have also pointed to what appears to be a dangerous spike in violent crime in the city, with 12 homicides so far this year, compare to seven in all of 2017.
Transit and traffic are also key concerns in the city. A new city council could mean the debate over the quashed LRT plan, something Jeffrey vocally supported, would be reopened. City council voted down a controversial light-rail transit (LRT) line in 2015 that would have connected Brampton to Mississauga.
The results posted Monday night remain unofficial until the City Clerk certifies them, which is expected to happen by Thursday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/brampton-election-2018-1.4873651
Brown garnered 40,952 votes – 44.7 per cent of the ballots cast with 83 per cent of polls reporting — beating out Linda Jeffrey. Jeffrey first became mayor in 2014 when she replaced Susan Fennell , who served as Brampton mayor for 14 years.
For his part, Brown made headlines earlier this year when he was forced to resign from the PC leadership following allegations of sexual misconducted dating back to his time as an MP. Brown, who many expected to be Ontario's new premier before the allegations, vehemently denied them.
Following the allegations, a PC Party vetting committee maintained Brown was eligible on to run for the leadership. He held on amid sharp criticism until withdrawing in February.
In July, he turned heads again when he joined Brampton's mayoral race on the last day for candidate registration. The surprise move had Jeffrey, who has lived in the city for 35 years, raising immediate criticism and questioning Brown's ties to the city. Brown countered, saying he'd practised law there before and after his time in provincial politics, slamming Jeffrey's leadership as ineffective.
Speaking on CBC Radio just ahead of the election, San Grewal, editor in chief of online Brampton news outlet The Pointer, said a win by Brown would say more about Jeffrey than it would about the former PC leader.
"I think it speaks to the lack of leadership that Brampton has seen," Grewal said.
Exploding growth
The contentious race showed no signs of letting up as voters headed to the polls.
Brampton's mayoral race took place against a backdrop of exploding growth. With more than 600,000 residents and a population growing at 2.5 times the national average, the suburb is on pace to become one of Canada's largest municipalities.
Longtime residents have also pointed to what appears to be a dangerous spike in violent crime in the city, with 12 homicides so far this year, compare to seven in all of 2017.
Transit and traffic are also key concerns in the city. A new city council could mean the debate over the quashed LRT plan, something Jeffrey vocally supported, would be reopened. City council voted down a controversial light-rail transit (LRT) line in 2015 that would have connected Brampton to Mississauga.
The results posted Monday night remain unofficial until the City Clerk certifies them, which is expected to happen by Thursday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/brampton-election-2018-1.4873651
