By Cecilia Nasmith
After Monday's election, the next Cobourg council will feature only one member who is entirely new to municipal politics – and he will occupy the mayor's chair.
By a margin of victory only 105 votes strong (3,391 to 3,286), Cleveland beat out incumbent Mayor John Henderson, who is completing his third term on council and his first as mayor.
Cleveland moved to Cobourg six years ago and established the greengrocer business Market & Smor on King Street. Surrounded by exuberant supporters in the Victoria Hall Concert Hall when the results came in, he commented, “I am exceptionally thankful for this entire community.
“I am humbled from the support I have received, and look forward in the next four years to being the hardest worker in the room for this community.”
Another hotly contested race, though not as close, was the Deputy Mayor face-off, which saw incumbent Suzanne Seguin defeated by Councillor Nicole Beatty, 2,851 votes to 3,817.
Incumbent Councillors Brian Darling, Aaron Burchat and Adam Bureau will remain, garnering 3,761, 3,412 and 4,111 votes respectively.
Miriam Mutton's 3,260 votes returned her to council, where she had sat previously before losing her bid for mayor in 2018.
And though Randy Barber (2,532 votes) is new to Cobourg council, he did serve six years on the Markham council before moving to Cobourg.
School board results saw Terry Brown and Jaine Klassen-Jeninga beat out Jamie Manton-Byers and Cherie Whalen.
Marcellin Kwilu Mondo was acclaimed to the French Separate School Board, and results are yet to come in the race for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board and the Conseil Scolaire Viamonde (French-language public school board).
