New Faces Join Council as Stouffville Voters Unseat Two Incumbents

• Jared Simpson, Bryan Stott, and Erik Gordon will join Stouffville Council, filling the open Ward 2 office and unseating incumbents Keith Acton and Rick Upton.
• Councillors Hugo Kroon, Richard Bartley, and Sue Sherban were re-elected, with Mayor Iain Lovatt acclaimed to a third term.
• Stott won Ward 3 by just 45 votes, besting Acton in the closest Council race of the night.
• Gordon topped a seven-candidate Ward 4 field, with Upton finishing fourth at less than 15 percent of the vote.
• Sherban posted the most decisive Council win, taking more than 68 percent of the Ward 6 vote.
• Kroon and Bartley both held off returning challengers, though by narrower margins than in 2022.
• Unofficial results show 14,630 ballots cast, 2,607 more than in 2022, though the turnout rate slipped to 33.4 percent from 34.19 percent.

Three new members will join Stouffville Council this term, after voters filled an open seat in Ward 2 and unseated two incumbents in Monday’s municipal election, according to unofficial results from the Town.

Jared Simpson won the open Ward 2 chair, Bryan Stott narrowly defeated Councillor Keith Acton in Ward 3, and Erik Gordon topped a crowded Ward 4 field in which Councillor Rick Upton finished fourth.

Councillors Hugo Kroon, Richard Bartley, and Sue Sherban were re-elected in Wards 1, 5, and 6, joining Mayor Iain Lovatt, who was acclaimed to a third consecutive term.

As of early Tuesday, the Town’s election dashboard shows 14,630 ballots cast among 43,806 eligible voters, a turnout of just 33.4 percent. That’s 2,607 more ballots than in 2022, but the rate slipped below the already low 34.19 percent recorded four years ago.

Simpson Takes Open Ward 2 Seat

In Ward 2, where Councillor Maurice Smith did not seek re-election, Jared Simpson won a five-candidate race with 932 votes, or 31 percent. George Karpouzis, who lost to Smith by 133 votes in 2022, again finished second with 684 votes, ahead of Adam Hassan (600), Terri Drover (573), and Rocco Priore (222).

Ward 2 voters were also the most engaged in Stouffville, with their 3,011 votes representing nearly 47 percent of the area’s eligible electorate.

“I’m just feeling good, and I feel really appreciative of the support… I’m really looking forward to diving in and just getting a chance to support and help the community,” Simpson told Bullet Point News Monday night.

“I think they all did a great job,” he said of his competitors. “I feel honoured and proud that they all ran,” he added, saying their shared strength and effort are demonstrated in the ward’s voter turnout.

Asked about his priorities, Simpson said he plans to start by listening. “My priority is to just learn everything I can. Just to come in with humility…to really respect the process and the environment, and to just take everything in.”

Stott Edges Out Acton in Ward 3

Ward 3 produced the closest Council race of the night, with Bryan Stott unseating one-term Councillor Keith Acton by 45 votes, 749 to 704. Roger Gingerich finished third with 478. Ward 3 voters cast nearly 700 more votes in the Council race than in 2022, when Acton was first elected.

“It feels great,” Stott told 102.9 Whistle FM’s Ron de Roo, crediting a campaign built on knocking doors and listening. “I feel like my message of connecting with the community, being a resident of Ward 3 for the last 15 years, has resonated with the people in our community.”

He pledged to “work my butt off to make sure these people are heard and have a voice at Town Hall.”

Stott also praised Acton, crediting him with helping his child’s sports team. “Keith Acton has done a lot for Stouffville. I respect Keith Acton,” he said, adding that he hopes to draw on Acton’s experience to “grow what we do in Ward 3 into more opportunities for youth around our town.”

As for his first priorities, Stott pointed to neighbourhood traffic and the Cam Fella community, which he said has seen “a lot of controversy.” Residents there need clarity “on what’s going to happen in their neighbourhood so that everybody can move on and start planning their futures,” he said, referencing the impacts of upcoming intensification in the area.

Gordon Tops Crowded Ward 4 Field

Ward 4’s seven-candidate race went to Erik Gordon, a first-time nominee, who took 852 votes, or 26 percent. Courtney Taylor finished second with 722, followed by David Parmer (577) and Upton (487), with Rob Hargrave (348), Brad Valentini (146), and James Liaros (127) rounding out the field.

Four years ago, Upton won Ward 4 with 1,395 votes, nearly 60 percent. He sought re-election after an Integrity Commissioner investigation found he had harassed two Town employees.

Gordon told de Roo he felt “very honoured… to have been granted people’s trust,” but added, “I also am in shock, as well.”

Noting “there were some great candidates presented to us in Ward 4,” some of whom became friends, Gordon credited time spent at residents’ doors. “Connecting with people individually at their doorsteps was, I believe, the key.”

Campaign conversations covered “everything from safety to development to Town services, to communication,” he recalled. His first order of business is to “get to know the role, get my feet under me” and build working relationships with Town Staff and his Council colleagues—all while continuing to meet with residents.

Familiar Faces Return

Among the returning councillors, Kroon has already been in touch with the incoming class. “The new guys are all very excited about hitting the ground running… This is going to be a very impressive four years coming up,” he told us.

Kroon won his Ward 1 rematch with Michael Cleverdon, 741 votes to 598. Cleverdon more than doubled his 2022 total, narrowing Kroon’s margin from 362 votes to 143.

“No matter how many times you go through this… it’s always a stressful time,” Kroon told Bullet Point News of the election cycle, adding that the support from residents “shows that they’re pretty much happy with the direction that the Council’s going in, and me as well.”

“We’re gonna stay the course,” he said, pointing to maintaining “the rural lifestyle” by keeping development out of rural areas, protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine and agricultural lands, and directing provincially mandated growth to “the appropriate places.”

He also highlighted industrial and commercial development underway in the ward. Examples included new warehousing and Audacity North, a planned high-tech development north of Aurora Road in the Highway 404 corridor, which he suggested is a key part of the Town’s future.

In Ward 5, Bartley also held off a returning challenger. He defeated Laura Cusack 1,106 votes to 971, down from the 357-vote margin that separated them in 2022. Shawn McGovern received 113 votes.

“The toughest part of this job is getting there,” Bartley said, citing the campaign’s door-knocking, emails, and toll on family. He thanked both of his opponents for running. “Laura, I know you worked extremely hard… I heard that when I was out there, as well.”

“For me, it’s gonna be the Downtown for sure,” he said of his priorities, acknowledging “some growing pains” ahead as Main Street reconstruction nears its start. He is asking residents to support local businesses that “will be open during construction,” adding, “The only way they’re going to survive is if we… make the effort to get to their stores and their restaurants.”

In Ward 6, Sherban posted the most decisive Council win of the night, taking 1,985 votes, or more than 68 percent, up from nearly 53 percent in 2022. Angel Freedman finished second with 627, while Greg Smith, who withdrew from the race on Oct. 4 but remained on the ballot, received 288.

“I’m incredibly proud of the campaign we ran and grateful to everyone who made it possible,” Sherban said in a statement to Bullet Point News. “I’m excited to welcome the new faces joining Council and energized to keep working hard, especially for the residents of Ward 6.”

“Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

School Board Trustees

Emma Sears won the York Region District School Board trustee seat representing Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville, taking 9,375 votes across both municipalities according to unofficial results from Aurora. She bested challengers Bruce Yu (7,079) and Bill Radia (6,485).

Sears also led in Stouffville with 4,667 votes, where Radia (3,361) topped Yu (3,144) for second.

Brandan James Cescolini took 1,275 Stouffville votes for York Catholic District School Board trustee to Eduardo Juarez’s 575. According to Aurora’s combined numbers, Cescolini secured 4,376 votes against
Juarez’s 1,743, winning the seat to represent both municipalities.

Christella Basosila Lome led Ibrahim M. Elias 52 to 22 in Stouffville for Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir trustee. Hanane Jaouich-Diakité was acclaimed as trustee for Conseil scolaire Viamonde.

The results remain unofficial until confirmed and certified by the Clerk. The new term of Council begins Nov. 15.