For the second time in four months, voters said no thanks to Ken Hewitt.
Hewitt felt the sting of political defeat in June when he ran for the provincial Conservatives in Haldimand-Norfolk and lost to independent candidate Bobbi Ann Brady. On Monday, Hewitt was denied in his bid for a fourth term as mayor of Haldimand.
His loss to Shelley Ann Bentley capped a sudden fall from political favor for Hewitt, who as mayor was credited with putting Haldimand on enviably solid financial footing.
“I’m disappointed, but I’ve had a good run,” Hewitt said after the ballots were counted.
“These last 12 years have shown me how extraordinary Haldimand County is, and I cherish both the relationships I’ve developed and the time I had in office.”
Bentley, a retired nurse, campaigned on her opposition to a proposal from Empire Homes to build 15,000 homes on the industrial lands surrounding the Stelco steelworks in Nanticoke.
“Haldimand has spoken and I intend to unify Haldimand,” Bentley said.
“This has been an amazing race and I’m grateful for everyone’s support.”
Like Brady before her, Bentley enjoyed the public endorsement of former Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett, who also opposes the idea of 40,000 new residents moving in near the steelworks.
Bentley will lead a council made up of four incumbents and two new faces. Natalie Stam upended incumbent Tony Dalimonte in Ward 4 and Patrick O’Neill replaces Dunnville-area councilor Bernie Corbett, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for public school trustee.
Many political observers in Haldimand expected a close race between Hewitt and Bentley.
But it was Jake Vandendool, an entrepreneur who founded internet provider Metro Loop, who made things interesting, holding the lead until the final poll was counted and Bentley leapfrogged into first place.
Overall vote turnout was 36.5 per cent, with 14,916 ballots cast.
JP Antonacci is a local journalism initiative reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.