By Pepper Parr
August 21st, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
This review of the candidates who filed nomination papers is being done in three parts. Those running in wards 1, 2 and 3 have been published. This article covers wards 4, 5 and 6. The third will cover the candidate running for Mayor.
Ward 4
Tony Brecknock candidate for the ward 3 council seat. OUNCIL SEAT
Tony Brecknock
Phone: 905-334-8118
Email: tony@brecknock.com
Website: brecknock.com
The Gazette has yet to interview Tony Brecknock. Basically due to scheduling issues. He was active in the decision the Halton District School Board made to close two of the city’s seven high schools.
Olivia Duke candidate for the ward 4 Council seat.
Olivia Duke
Phone: 416-320-8843
Email: olivia@oliviaduke.ca
Website: oliviaduke.ca
Our attempts at meeting with Olivia Duke have not gotten us very far. She has been actively campaigning.
Shawna Stolte, ward 4 incumbent
Shawna Stolte
Email: stolte4ward4@gmail.com
Website: https://stolte4ward4.ca
Shawna is the ward 4 incumbent. She has had her issues with the Integrity Commissioner and had her run ins with the Mayor as well. During what can only be called a ‘sparring’ match during a Council meeting Stolte made it very clear she knew how to stick to a principled position while the Mayor made it equally clear that she could use and abuse the power the Mayor has to amend an agenda to suit her personal agenda. That sorry spectacle is HERE for viewing, if you haven’t already seen it.
Stolte has served the interests of her constituents very well and brought about changes in the way council processes and proceeds with its business. Some were small, other quite significant.
Eden Wood
Phone: 905-630-4949
Email: vote.edenwood@gmail.com
Website: https://edenwoodward4.ca/
We have yet to meet Ms Wood. Most of the first time candidates needed additional time to get their web sites operational.
Ward 5
The number of candidates that came out of the blue on the second to last day that nominations were open flooded ward 5 And probably stunned the incumbent who most people thought was going to be acclaimed. Paul Sharman is now in a race.
We have no detail on any of the candidates listed below. We will reach out to each of them and learn what wee can. The first question that pops into our minds is this: Was it pure coincidence that three people with very little in the way of a public profile all filed their papers on the same day? Journalists don’t believe in coincidences
Guy D’Alesio
Phone: 905-483-5093
Email: guydalesio@gmail.com
Andrew Hall
Phone: 289-962-2862
Email: hello@andrewhallburlington.com
Denny Pirzas
Phone: 905-484-0105
Email: pirzasdenny@gmail.com
Paul Sharman, ward 5 incumbent
Paul Sharman
Phone: 905-320-7467
Email: paul@paulsharman.ca
Website: paulsharman.ca
Paul Sharman burst on the political scene in the 2010 election when he filed nomination papers for the Office of Mayor. Shortly after that Rick Goldring, who was the Council member for ward 5 also filed papers to run for the Office of Mayor.
Sharman almost immediately withdrew his nomination for Mayor and filed to run as the ward Councillor.
Both Sharman and Goldring won the race they ran in.
Sharman was a member of the Group that put together the Shape Burlington report that set out what people were unhappy about with city hall. One might ask Sharman if what he was a part in 2020 has had an impact on the way city hall works with its citizens.
Sharman went on to become a very different member of Council. He brought significant private sector experience to the job and a mind that could never get enough data.
He was described by Goldring as one of the best strategic minds that Gold rind had seen.
Many thought Sharman would run for Mayor this time. It was never really something he wanted to be. He chose not to and while he didn’t assume he was going to be acclaimed we don’t think he expected three people the public knew very little about to run against him.
He has been a useful member of Council forcing his colleagues to look at significant financial issues in a different light.
.Ward 6
Angelo Bentivegna, ward 6 incumbent
Angelo Bentivegna
Phone: 905-973-6923
Email: angelo.bentivegna@gmail.com
Angelo Bentivegna is the incumbent. He defeated Councillor Blair Lancaster by less the 50 votes in 2018 and has worked hard to gain a stronger foothold in the ward. His command and grasp of many of the issues that come before council is at times limited. He has positioned himself as the Councillor who cares about what taxpayers have to deal with.
He is very strong when working a room – a lot of bonhomie to the man.
Rick Greenspoon
Phone: 905-466-4449
Email: greenspoonrick@gmail.com
Website: https://www.rickgreenspoon.com
Rick Greenspoon has up until this point in his working life been the man behind the scenes making things work better and getting the job done.
He has a clear idea of what he thinks can be done and is out on the streets doing the door to door work that is essential
Many ward 6 residents in the Millcroft area have a significant issue with the plans Argo Developments have for the the changes it would make with the golf course the community was built around.
Greenspoon appears to have made some deep inroads and been able to capitalize on the disappointment those people have with the incumbent.
Renato Velocci
Phone: 905-802-8808
Email: rvelocci01@gmail.com
We do know that Renato Velocci once ran against Linda Pugley for a council seat many years ago.
List of candidates for wards 1,2 and 3
Not so fair and impartial -Mr Parr strikes again using his pictures and words to boost up a certain candidate and put other candidates down like he has done in past articles, and even resorted to name calling. I call that a form of bullying.I mean look at this article, in Ward 4 Shawna gets the most writing and everyone else gets 1 sentence and only one candidate in ward 4 Eden Wood doesn’t even get her picture used, when I know he has one because when searching the gazzette for other atricles, he used one in his full page article about her on July 21. He’s claiming to be a fair and impartial journalist, but when you use your pictures and words to push an agenda that he wants, it doesn’t seem very fair and impartial it’s more bullying .Doesn’t anyone else see what is going on here? he is doing the exact same thing he’s claiming certain incumbents have done in the past. I guess it’s ok for him to do that when it suits his agenda it’s only a problem when it goes against it.
Editor’s response: It is clear who this reader is supporting. The Gazette has reached out to Eden Wood on more than one occasion. We wrote more about Councillor Stolte because we know more about Councillor Stolte – background we obtained during interviews. Ms Wood seems to have difficulty understanding the role media plays in a democracy. The information she provides on her web site is useful – but it is just her story with no opportunity for follow up questions. Ms Wood is young – she will learn – and in the fullness of time there will be an opportunity to interview her.