More than a month has already passed since the nomination period opened for this fall’s municipal election, and a significant name has yet to appear on the ballot.
For now, Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, who has sat in the mayor’s seat since 2014, is focused on a couple of significant projects at both Kitchener and regional council.
“The reality is, there are some major issues that we’re dealing with, and I don’t want to take attention off of those issues when they are really what the electorate of the community needs myself and others to be focused on,” said Vrbanovic.
When he was seeking another term as mayor in 2022, Vrbanovic filed his papers on July 22 and plans on making an announcement on his campaign after he and the rest of council get through “a packed June agenda.”
“It’ll certainly be after the end of the council meeting season,” said Vrbanovic.
When the nomination period opened in May, plenty of names emerged as first-time or returning candidates. In June, that initial outburst has slowed to a crawl.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe remains unopposed in her bid for another term in the top job, and it remains a three-horse race in Cambridge with incumbent Mayor Jan Liggett facing current Councillor Scott Hamilton and Brian Kennedy, the Executive Director of Downtown Cambridge and Preston Towne Centre BIA.
In Kitchener, George Trihenea’s name now appears as a candidate for mayor, noting that he filed his nomination papers on June 4. David Alton and Wazhma Frogh both filed their nominations at the beginning of May.
Vrbanovic is one of the longest-serving mayors in Waterloo Region, alongside Joe Nowak of Wellesley, Sandy Shantz of Woolwich, and Sue Foxton of North Dumfries, who have all served in the role since 2014.
“I still love what I do. I wake up every morning with the same passion and energy that I had for this job as I did on the first day I was elected,” said Vrbanovic.
The nomination period for this fall’s election closes on Aug. 21.
