It’s a two-way race for the mayor’s seat between city council incumbents in Peterborough.
Daryl Bennett is seeking a third-straight term as mayor while Town Ward city councillor Diane Therrien hopes to end that streak. Bennett, a longtime businessman, was first elected in 2010 when he won by more than 4,000 over incumbent Paul Ayotte. In 2014, Bennett was re-elected, topping Maryam Monsef by 1,331 in a six-person race.
Therrien was first elected in 2014 as a councillor for Town Ward. She has worked for the Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network, the YWCA, and Trent University.
As for the other council positions, Dan McWilliams is the current councillor not seeking re-election.
WATCH: Peterborough mayoral candidates square off in debate
Candidates (as per the City of Peterborough’s website)
Mayor
Daryl Bennett (incumbent)
Diane Therrien (current city councillor)
Council
Ward 1: Otonabee
Brock Grills
Bob Hall
Lesley Parnell (incumbent)
Jason Andrew Wallwork
Ryan Waudby
Kim Zippel
Ward 2: Monaghan
Henry Clarke (incumbent)
Charmaine Magumbe
Dave McGowan
Don Vassiliadis (incumbent)
Jeff Westlake
Ward 3: Town
Kemi Akapo
Jane Davidson
Jenny Lanciault
Dean Pappas (incumbent)
Jim Russell
Ward 4: Ashburnham
Gary Baldwin (incumbent)
Ian Russell Peddle
Paul Rellinger
Keith Riel (incumbent)
Shelia Wood
Ward 5: Northcrest
Andrew Beamer (incumbent)
Dave Haacke (incumbent)
Zach Hatton
Stephen Wright
The City
Located in central Ontario, Peterborough sits on the Otonabee River, about 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto and 270 kilometres southwest of Ottawa. It is surrounded by a number of smaller municipalities with the City of Kawartha Lakes being the largest. Known as the “Gateway to the Kawarthas,” service industries are the primary employers but its growth can also be attributed to a long history of manufacturing, including General Electric (since 1892), Quaker Oats and Siemens. The largest employer is the Peterborough Regional Health Centre with about 2,000 employees in 2017. The city has two post-secondary institutions: Trent University and Fleming College.
Population (2016)
81,032
Median total income of couple economic families with children (2015)/Ont. median
$103,794/$115,381
Crime Severity Index (2017) – municipal/Ont.
53.4*/55.40 – includes the metropolitan area
Violent Crime Severity Index (2017) – municipal/Ont.
69.3*/68.69 – includes the metropolitan area
Political representation
Federal
Maryam Monsef (Liberal) — Peterborough-Kawartha
Provincial
Dave Smith (Progressive Conservative) — Peterborough-Kawartha