Labour council lists endorsements for the Oct. 26 municipal vote

The Windsor & District Labour Council has endorsed Fathers (Ward 2), Acton (5), Renaud (6), Marignani (7), Racine (8) and McKenzie (9) in Windsor's ward races, plus 12 in the county. No Windsor mayoral endorsement: it says Dilkens and Francis didn't seek one. (CTV Windsor)

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The Windsor and District Labour Council announced its list of endorsed candidates for the Monday, Oct. 26 municipal election, CTV Windsor reported on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The council said the list followed a consultative process involving representatives from affiliated unions.

The list, as reported

Amherstburg: Michael Prue (mayor) and Jen DeLuca (councillor)

Essex: Sherry Bondy (mayor)

Kingsville: Sheri Lowrie (councillor)

Lakeshore: Tracey Bailey (mayor), Kirk Walstedt (deputy mayor) and Kelsey Santarossa (Ward 4 councillor)

Leamington: Heather Latam (councillor)

Tecumseh: Joe Bachetti (mayor), Alex Ilijoski (Ward 3 councillor), Cheryl Hardcastle (Ward 4 councillor) and Marisa Nabbout (Ward 5 councillor)

Windsor: Frazier Fathers (Ward 2), Ken Acton (Ward 5), Jeremy Renaud (Ward 6), Angelo Marignani (Ward 7), Kevin Racine (Ward 8) and Kieran McKenzie (Ward 9)

CTV's headline and first sentence give a total of 15 endorsements. The list in the same report names 18 candidates. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the labour council posted its own list on its website, and it names the same 18 candidates.

How candidates were chosen

Interim president Mario Spagnuolo told CTV a committee of representatives from affiliated unions evaluated candidates. "Key issues that they looked at included accountability and transparency, providing public services, advancing [the] labour movement and affordable housing was another criteria that they looked at," he said.

On Windsor's mayoral race, Spagnuolo said: "The only way that the Labour Council would consider an endorsement is if somebody sought endorsement through completing the survey." He said Drew Dilkens and Fred Francis did not seek it. The report does not say whether other mayoral candidates did. Eleven candidates are running for mayor of Windsor.

Spagnuolo said the broader goal is to increase participation in the election, noting low voter turnout in past municipal elections.

On the ballot

Other candidates are running in every race on the list. Each municipality posts its full certified candidate list.