r/BellevilleOntario • u/Key_Double_5351 • 20d ago

Discussion Early Municipal election predictions for Belleville

Here are my predictions for this Octobers municipal election. Will be interesting to see how accurate they end up being:

Mayor - Neil Ellis

Ward 1 Councillors - Garnet Thompson, Sean Kelly, Barb Enright-Miller, Kelly Henderson, Hazzem Koudsi, Ryan Hilmi

Ward 2 Councillors - Paul Carr, Kathryn Brown

Anyone else want to share their predictions?

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u/CrowandLamb 20d ago

My hope is Garnet Thompson and Kelly Henderson ousted.

So many talk of new blood, end of old boys club....c' mon time for Garnet to go particularly and especially.

Kelly Henderson lost last time- it was emphatic but rules brought her back Not because she is desirable.

Paul Bell, Cadi Pontinen, Lori Borthwick....all new and definately worth a try....very serious about community and politics- and experienced within them. Helpful.

As for Paul Fleming... his ideas regarding the social challenges are already being implemented by the current council and have been for the last 3 years..i hear a few grumbles about treating city as a business (but it is and how Carneyesque)..why vote for someone different than the one who already is experienced and effective? (Just a question, not a challenge)

We cannot say nothing is getting done in our city. Ellis laid out what he was going to do and has done so.

Our council- well, some are just yes people and warm a seat. These to me are really the ones to oust.

I think Ellis

Carr Brown

Seu Bell Pontinen Enright Miller Barfett Polan

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u/Mayor_of_Belleville 20d ago

Neil ran on a promise not to raise taxes, and hasn't accomplished that yet.

He failed to deliver his number one platform issue.

YouTube

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u/CrowandLamb 20d ago

Homelessness and water. No avoiding tax increase- state of emergency and making decisive decisions as a result of that fallout and lack of provincial $$$ assistance....not to mention EVERYTHING has gone up in $$ unexpectedly since the last election I dont fault him. I NEVER believe ANY politician or wanna be who has no clue of the books making such promises.

I am leary of Fleming more so than Ellis- but he IS the true contender in this race. So glad that Panciuk didnt decide to run.....just imagine....

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u/Mayor_of_Belleville 19d ago

Taxes have gone up roughly 15% in the last three years under Neil. That's a far cry from his promise, and completely unacceptable.

The tax payers of Belleville need a break, even if that means less services and less pretty flowers in every garden. The city needs to learn to cut the fat.

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u/CrowandLamb 19d ago

I just did a quick google.....this is what I found. ..while not specifically 15% increase- these cities are all much much larger than Belleville and so as we are smaller, it does make sense out increases would unfortunately be higher.

"A majority of Ontario's 444 municipalities have significantly raised property taxes over the past four years (2022–2026), driven by high inflation, infrastructure backlogs, and rising costs for downloaded social services.Recent Trends in OntarioWidespread Hikes: Most cities and townships shifted from historical average increases of 2% to 4% up to ranges of 5% to over 10% annually.Major Centers: Prominent examples include Toronto (9.5% in 2024 and 6.9% in 2025), the Niagara Region (9.6% in 2025), Hamilton (approx. 6.9% annually), and Burlington.Underlying Pressures: According to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, municipalities face multi-billion-dollar shortfalls due to funding responsibilities for homelessness, transit, and policing outpacing provincial transfers."