Charles McDonald wins mayor’s race in Kawartha Lakes

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard

KAWARTHA LAKES: Charles McDonald will lead Kawartha Lakes for the next four years after securing a majority of the votes in Monday’s municipal election, as unofficial results show more than 27,000 ballots were cast across the city.

McDonald received 13,542 votes, or 51.4 percent of the eligible vote, defeating Ron Ashmore, who finished second with 8,495 votes (32.3 percent). Doug Ford received 2,317 votes, Mathew Flynn garnered 1,606, and David Korn received 316.

Following the announcement of his victory, McDonald thanked voters for their support and looked ahead to the work awaiting the new council.

“Thank you, Kawartha Lakes, for placing your trust in me! I look forward to working together for a strong, bright future for our community. The work starts now!” the newly-elected Mayor McDonald said, surrounded by jubilant supporters on election night.

Voting closed at 8 p.m. on Monday, October 26th, concluding the municipal election to select the mayor, eight ward councillors, and school board trustees for the 2026-2030 term. The city reported that 100 percent of results had been received, with the results remaining unofficial pending certification. A total of 27,170 ballots were cast.

In the ward races, Brian Bartley won Ward 1 with 824 votes, finishing ahead of Jennifer Sherry, who received 613. The race was the closest of the eight councillor contests, with Bartley winning by 211 votes. Jennifer Silverthorne-Litton collected 414 votes, Vicki Taylor received 347, and Don Logan finished with 332.

Terry Blackmore won Ward 2 decisively, collecting 2,141 votes, or 67.3 percent of the vote. Pat Warren finished second with 909 votes, while Karina Gaudier received 132.

Mike Perry secured Ward 3 with 2,925 votes, capturing 89.6 percent of the vote against challenger Jim Greensides, who received 340. Perry’s margin of victory was 2,585 votes.

Guru Bhat was elected in Ward 4 with 1,938 votes, representing 58.8 percent of the vote. Dan Joyce finished second with 777 votes, followed by Ron Ross with 351 and Shannon Reddom with 230.

Mark Doble won Ward 5 with 2,663 votes, or 62.9 percent of the vote. Julie Coombs placed second with 1,073 votes, while Joey Abbott received 407 and Willy Thornbury collected 89.

Jasmine Marshall won Ward 6 with 2,891 votes, securing 81.9 percent of the vote. Mary Ann Martin received 502 votes, while Janet Eleanore Barnard collected 139.

Eric Smeaton was elected in Ward 7 with 2,375 votes, or 65.9 percent of the vote. Brooke Rouse finished second with 522 votes, followed by Shelagh McFarlane with 432, Shahla Ghiasi Tarzi with 147 and Liam Bruyn with 127.

Tom Hickey won Ward 8 with 1,603 votes, representing 69.2% of the vote. Steve Lesperance received 392 votes, while Wyatt Colazzi finished with 321.

The results saw all eight ward councillor positions filled, with winning candidates receiving between 32.6 and 89.6 percent of the vote in their respective contests.

Among the school board trustee races, Deb McInerney was elected English-Public School Board trustee for Wards 1 and 4 with 2,879 votes, defeating Don Alton, who received 1,497.

Alex Steven won the Ward 5 trustee position with 2,153 votes, ahead of Raj Ghuman, who received 490. Ashley Ferreira was elected trustee for Wards 6 and 8 with 2,411 votes, defeating Anna Oliveira, who received 1,176.

Tim McAlpine was acclaimed as English-Public School Board trustee for Wards 2 and 3, while Colleen Wilcox was acclaimed in Ward 7. Mary Winn was acclaimed as English-Separate School Board trustee for all wards.

The newly elected mayor and council will serve a four-year term beginning in December.