Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman had the backing of the party boss as he officially announced he will be seeking the Liberal nomination in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte (BSOM) in this summer's provincial election.
With friends, family and supporters on hand Thursday afternoon, Lehman ended any speculation about his political future in front of a packed house at a Cundles Road East restaurant. And in his pursuit of becoming an MPP, Lehman also said he would not seek a fourth term as Barrie mayor in October's municipal election regardless of what happens June 2 in the provincial election.
Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca, who was on hand for Lehman’s announcement this afternoon, told BarrieToday that Lehman will be their candidate.
“There will be a formal nomination meeting that the party does schedule and convene in the next few weeks. Jeff’s name will be the only name on the plan,” Del Duca said. “He will be acclaimed as the Liberal Party candidate in this riding.”
Lehman would then have to take a leave of absence to run in the provincial election, leaving his mayoral duties to Deputy Mayor Barry Ward. This is the first term the city has had the deputy-mayor's position.
In an email to BarrieToday, city clerk Wendy Cooke said there would be a process to go through if Lehman wins the MPP's seat and represents BSOM at Queen's Park.
“If Mayor Lehman is successful in being elected as MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte, he would be required to resign and his mayor’s seat would be declared vacant at the first council meeting following the resignation, with an appointment process to fill a vacant seat being required," Cooke said.
An appointment wouldn’t be required if the vacancy is declared within 90 days of the municipal election, she added.
An appointment would be chosen between current council members to appoint one of their own to take the seat until the Oct. 24 municipal election.
Meanwhile, Lehman said he decided to run in BSOM versus Barrie-Innisfil because of his connection to the north end of the city. He represented Ward 2 from 2006 until 2010.
"My first job in public life was representing a part of Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte,” he said. “I grew up there, built my business there and right now I live literally right on the edge of the two ridings.
"But I will say I think there are unique challenges faced by BSOM," he added. "I think there is a real question around the direction of growth, not only in the north end of the city, but in Oro and Springwater. There are very important things that need to happen at Queen’s Park to protect our lake and to grow smart in our region.”
In the BSOM riding, Lehman will be up against Progressive Conservative incumbent Doug Downey, who is also the province's attorney general. Downey has confirmed BarrieToday that he plans to seek re-election.
While Lehman’s popularity in Barrie as mayor has been proven to be very high in previous city elections, he said he will safely “knock on doors relentlessly” to meet people and talk to them about what's important to them.
Del Duca said he was “thrilled” to have Lehman run in the upcoming provincial elections and believes the mayor fits the party’s vision for the future.
“I’ve known Jeff for years. I’ve seen firsthand how he performs. We are so aligned on so many of the important issues for Barrie and for Ontario," he said.
The last provincial election, in 2018, was a disaster for the Liberal Party under Kathleen Wynne as they recorded not only the worst result in the party's 161-year history, but also the worst result for any governing party in the province. Wynne’s party went into the 2018 election with 55 seats and came out with seven.
Shortly after, Wynne stepped down and Del Duca took over as leader.
Del Duca admitted the last election was not ideal for his party, but said he feels like things have taken a turn for the better.
“I really do feel the momentum building,” Del Duca said. “I think when you consider the team we are pulling together here, not only in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte but around Ontario, it's promising. Doctors, nurses, teachers, hospital administrators, mayors are stepping forward because they want to build something special.
"It feels really good to me and only 98 days to go, but who's counting?”
