Five councillor-elects getting ready to serve in 2026-30 term
The five councillors for the 2026-30 term of Amherstburg town council are ready to get started.
Two of the councillors were re-elected in the Oct. 26 municipal election – Molly Allaire and Peter Courtney – while three new faces will join them, including Jen DeLuca, Wes Ewer and Keith Boussey.
DeLuca, the top vote-getter, said she was with about 30 friends and family members at Shooter’s Roadhouse when she got the word. She said she was originally going to await the election results at home but was talked into going out by friends.
“I was excited,” she said. “I was nervous but having everyone around made it exciting.”
DeLuca said she has had conversations with mayor-elect Chris Gibb and deputy mayor-elect Bill Petruniak and there have been a lot of congratulatory e-mails and phone calls since the election. She added that being a councillor-elect is something she is not yet used to.
“It hasn’t set in, oddly enough,” said DeLuca.
Working together and taking a collaborative approach will be important, she added, as the new council will have to get information and start making decisions quickly.
“Everyone has been extremely supportive,” she said. “Everywhere I go I get stopped and congratulated.”
DeLuca stated she had hopes of becoming a councillor, but she didn’t expect to finish first among the 15 councillor candidates. It was a shock to finish first, she said, but she is honoured by that.
“I’m honestly excited to work with a great group of people,” she said. “They have Amherstburg’s best interests at heart.”
Allaire will be starting her second term as a councillor, and was surprised by the amount of votes she received. While obviously hoping to be re-elected, she was caught off-guard by her vote total.
“It’s simply amazing,” said Allaire. “Never did I expect the support that I received.”
Allaire found out about her re-election at a small family party at her home.
“Everyone was refreshing the (town) website probably every ten minutes,” said Allaire. “It was pretty funny.”
Allaire added she did everything she could during the campaign, noting this year was more difficult as she had knee surgery a few weeks ago.
She was nervous heading into election day but her sister came in from Trenton and they spent the day together, which took her mind off of things.
People have been reaching out congratulating her on her win, and the kindness is something she says she appreciates.
“All of the candidates did a great job,” said Allaire.
Allaire thanks her supporters for voting her back in, adding her parents were a big help with her election signs. Issues for her in the immediate future are getting repairs include repairs to utility boxes that have wires sticking out and improving accessibility in local parks.
“I love this job,” she said. “I’m happy to have it for another four years.”
Courtney will be starting his third term as a councillor. He said he spent election night as he usually does, at home with a small group of family and friends.
“It was low key,” he said.
Noting he is pleased to be re-elected to town council, Courtney hopes his experience as an elected official comes in handy and allows the new council to get some “traction out of the gate.” He is happy to have some fresh perspectives on town council and emphasized he is “humbled, honoured and privileged” to be re-elected.
Courtney said he has been in contact with most of the new council and said it is an interesting group of people. He said he likes what he sees from the new council and believes the new unit will be productive over the next four years.
There are “hot ticket items” coming up, Courtney added, and he wants to be part of the solutions. He also wants to see park improvements, such as continued upgrades to H. Murray Smith Centennial Park and Malden Centre Park. Road improvements also need to be done and possibly the roads needs study updated.
Courtney thanked his family for their support, as well as his friends for assisting during the campaign.
Ewer said he has been speaking with members of the new town council as well, adding there have been congratulatory messages from not only family and friends, but people he hasn’t met before.
News of his election to town council is something Ewer admitted he is still getting used to.
“It’s still setting in, for sure,” said Ewer.
Ewer said incoming council members have received their schedule for training and he is looking forward to getting underway. Election day for him saw work and family commitments take his mind off of things but there were nerves late in the day. A feeling of “we did it” took over when he got the results, then came the feeling of shock with reality setting in that he was elected.
Ewer added he stopped at a couple of spots the evening of Oct. 26 and was talking to his wife just as he was arriving at another location when he found out he was elected as a councillor.
Maintaining communication with the electorate is a key for Ewer.
“For me, my focus is to get a more effective way to pass information on to the residents and get the feedback I’m looking for,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out ways to make myself more accountable and get the data I’m looking for.”
Like the others, Ewer thanked family and friends for their support. He said he heard good things from supporters but tried not to be overconfident during the campaign.
“I’m not looking to let anyone down,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a very, very exciting four years.”
Boussey noted there will be a lot to learn but he is happy to be able to have a chance to serve.
“When I first saw the results, I felt proud, grateful, relieved and breathless. There had been a lot of positive feedback throughout the campaign, but I never took anything for granted. I was hopeful, but you really don’t know until the votes are counted. Having residents put their trust in me is something I take seriously,” he said.
Boussey expressed his thanks to everyone who voted for him, displayed a lawn sign, shared his posts, handed out flyers or took the time to speak with him.
“I’m especially thankful to my family and friends for their encouragement and support throughout the campaign,” he said.
His objectives as a councillor-elect mirror those he had as a candidate.
“My goals remain the same - responsible spending, a clearer understanding of our financial commitments, attention to roads and infrastructure and making sure growth is supported by the services it needs. Keeping communication open with residents across all of Amherstburg will also be a priority,” said Boussey.
Boussey added he has heard from fellow members of the incoming council, town administration and many residents offering congratulations and encouragement.
“I’m looking forward to working together and bringing the concerns I heard during the campaign to the council table,” he said. “Next comes preparation, including an introductory meeting with the CAO and Deputy CAO, followed by council training once we’re sworn in. There is plenty to learn, and I’m ready to put in the work.”
Boussey added: “Throughout my campaign, I spoke about being a councillor for all of Amherstburg. That commitment carries forward as I prepare to take on this role.”
Five councillor-elects getting ready to serve in 2026-30 term
By Ron Giofu
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