Headline News

McGibbon new mayor of Bancroft

November 9, 2026

Changing tides swept through Bancroft and the surrounding municipalities on the night of Oct. 26 as residents went to the polls to elect their new councils for the forthcoming four years, taking us into 2030. The Bancroft Times has compiled a list of the election results for the 2026 to 2030 council term covering the Town of Bancroft, Faraday Township, Carlow Mayo Township, Wollaston Township, Limerick Township, Tudor and Cashel Township, the Municipality of Hastings Highlands, South Algonquin Township and Highlands East. Stay tuned over the coming weeks to learn more about the new councils in these municipalities throughout our area. 

Bancroft

The Town of Bancroft saw a big shift in its council composition as long-time Mayor Paul Jenkins did not seek re-election, while many councillors currently serving chose not to run again. However, current Councillor Tracy
McGibbon, Mark Pharand, Josh MacDonald and Brad Sinclair all put in their hats for the top job. In the end, it was McGibbon who emerged victorious with 862 votes, followed closely by Pharand with 802 votes and Sinclair in third place with 361 votes. 

McGibbon remarked on what an incredible journey it had been, thanking Bancroft residents for placing their trust and confidence in her. 

“I am truly humbled and honoured to have been elected your mayor. I want to congratulate all members of our newly elected council and thank my fellow candidates for putting their names forward and their willingness to serve our community. To my husband Barry and my family, thank you for your love, patience and unwavering support, and to my incredible campaign team, Linda, Jamie and Steve, for the countless hours, dedication and hard work. I couldn’t have done this without you. To everyone who opened their doors, shared their concerns, offered encouragement, or simply took the time to have a conversation, thank you. Those conversations meant more to me than you know. I want every resident to know that whether you voted for me or not, I am here to represent you. I will work hard, listen, ask the tough questions, and make decisions based on what I believe is in the best interest of our entire community. My door will always be open and I look forward to working alongside council, staff, residents, and our neighbouring municipalities to build a stronger more prosperous future for Bancroft. This election may be over, but the hard work is just beginning. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Bancroft. I won’t take your trust for granted,” she says. 

For the rest of council, Val Miles is returning with 451 votes (Ward 2, Dungannon), as is George Eastman with 586 votes (Ward 1, Bancroft), while new to the council table are; Brent Anderson with 704 votes (Ward 1, Bancroft), Greg Maxwell with 751 votes (Ward 1, Bancroft), Mike Dillabough with 537 votes (Ward 2, Dungannon), and Chris Sheppard with 565 votes (Ward 2, Dungannon).  Overall, 48.67 per cent of residents voted this time around.

Faraday

In Faraday Township, both Mayor John O’Donnell and Deputy Mayor Michael Brooks were acclaimed, succeeding Mayor Dennis Purcell and Deputy Mayor Marg Nicholson, who did not run again. For the rest of council, it will be made up of the following councillors for the next four years; Amanda Stone with 365 votes, Dawn Switzer with 554 votes, and David Tenthorey with 377 votes. There was a 27.06 per cent voter turnout. 

Wollaston

Wollaston had two candidates running for mayor; current Mayor Michael Fuerth and newcomer Darlene Colton. When the dust settled it was Fuerth who emerged as the new mayor of the municipality with 419 votes versus 398 votes cast for Colton. Fuerth said he was truly honoured and grateful for the support and trust shown to him in this election.

“Congratulations to everyone who participated. I look forward to working together, strengthening relationships and building a brighter future for Wollaston,” he says. 

The deputy mayor’s position will be filled by Janet Whiteway, who got 484 votes. For the rest of council, it was Jeanne Gibson with 476 votes, Roxanne Lambert with 559 votes, and Teresa Van Dyk with 535 votes. There was a 40.54 per cent voter turnout. 

Hastings Highlands

In Hastings Highlands, Mayor Tony Fitzgerald retained his seat at the head of the council table for a second term with 1,777 votes, beating out Joey Shulman who received 741 votes. Fitzgerald wanted to thank the residents of HH for their resounding support.

“I will not let you down. I would also like to thank our HH staff for running an efficient and smooth election. I look forward to working with this new council to continue serving the people of our community,” he says. 

Deputy Mayor Tammy Davis was acclaimed. The rest of council will consist of the following councillors; Tracy Hagar got 1396 votes, Brad MacDonald got 1052 votes, Nancy Matheson got 1358 votes, Joan Nieman got 1167 votes, and Troy Thrower got 1090 votes. There was a 34.25 per cent voter turnout. 

Carlow Mayo 

Carlow Mayo council had two candidates running for mayor following the untimely passing of Mayor Randy Wallace back in July. Deputy Mayor Eldon Stewart served as mayor in the interim. Randy Caldwell and Brent Moxam ran to succeed Wallace and Stewart as mayor for the next four years. Ultimately, it was Caldwell who garnered the most votes with 375, versus Moxam’s 179 votes, thus becoming the township’s new mayor. The rest of the council; Pam Stewart, Eldon Stewart, Elson Ruddy and Richard Dillabough, were all acclaimed. There was a 40.51 per cent voter turnout. 

Limerick

In a hard-fought race between Mayor Kim Carson and Carl Stefanski, who was the mayor of Limerick from 2018 to 2022, it was Carson who emerged victorious with 449 votes versus 130 votes cast for Stefanski. The rest of council will be as follows; Jan MacKillican with 340 votes, Shawn Pack with 313 votes, Selena Bruni with 258 votes, and Kevin Charlton with 278 votes. The voter turnout was 53.46 per cent. 

Tudor and Cashel

Mayor Dave Hederson was acclaimed in his position as head of council, while the deputy mayor position will be retained by current Deputy Mayor Bob Bridger who garnered 296 votes beating out his challenger Roy Reeds who got 278 votes. The rest of council will be as follows; Elain Holloway with 449 votes, Brent Taylor with 394 votes, and Jerry Chadwick with 378 votes. There was a 34.09 per cent voter turnout. 

South Algonquin 

In South Algonquin, Mayor Ethel LaValley was running against Bernard Baker, and it was ultimately LaValley who came out on top, with 638 votes versus Baker’s 246 votes. For Airy Ward, Joan Kuiack will represent them with 351 votes, as will John David Stubbs with 172 votes. 

In Lyell Ward, Sandra Collins and Leah Geddes are currently tied with 32 votes each, with a recount currently being conducted by the returning officer. If there is still a tie after the recount, the returning officer will either choose a winner by draw or have a Justice of the Peace do another recount. If the JOP still finds a tie after the second recount, a winner will be chosen by a draw. On Oct. 29, CAO Bryan Martin said that a recount had failed to resolve the issue, and that when lots were drawn, Leah Geddes was selected as successful candidate for the ward. Collins has until Nov. 13 to request an additional recount from a JOP pursuant to section 63 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.  If this is not done, Geddes will be declared the winner in accordance with section 62 (4) of the Act, and the current result remains unofficial until this transpires. 

Dickens Ward will see Sharon Conners at the council table with 133 votes versus Daryl Slaght’s 16 votes. Joe Florent was acclaimed to represent Murchison Ward. Sabine Ward will have Shawn Pigeon return as their advocate over the next four years with 88 votes, beating out Angela Pollak who received 42 votes. The voter turnout was 40.27 per cent.