Nominations have closed, setting the stage for this fall’s municipal election in London. On Friday, seven candidates filed their nomination papers at city hall before the 2 p.m. deadline to ensure their names appear on the ballot this fall. Jari Spence is running to be the councillor representing Downtown London and surrounding core neighbourhoods, “A main issue for me is the vacant housing in Ward 13 and how it’s not being used properly. I think that instead we should be building more low income housing.” Meanwhile, Alexandria Hames explains her priorities if elected in Ward 2, “Definitely safety and a sustainable future. We need to find more solutions to keep people in our city as well.” Gurinder Pal Singh is seeking election in Ward 14, “My first priority will be to make sure the voice of all the people living in that ward, and as a matter of fact, in the whole city is heard.” Several candidates said they spent significant time choosing a ward. Osama Ali telling CTV News his reason for running in Ward 8, “There’s very few candidates that are running for Ward 8, and that ward, they deserve a lot.” The final candidate added to the official nomination register, former Ward 11 Coun. Denise Brown. “Last but not least!” Brown said. “I’ve been thinking about it for quite a few months now, but it was really yesterday that I made the final decision.” Defeated in 2014, she says a number of pressing issues facing London motivated her decision to re-enter politics, “The homelessness, the open drug use downtown, and especially property taxes. They keep on going up, and the spending and the roads and infrastructure.” Late last year, Council approved a 35 per cent pay increase for the 14 ward councillors when the new four-year term begins in November. The base pay of a city councillor will rise to $94,222. However, the pay increase didn’t substantially boost the number of candidates seeking those seats, only rising from 61 in 2022 to 69 this year. Just minutes into her campaign, Brown took a bold position on the pay hike. “If I am elected, that 35 per cent increase they gave themselves, that’s going to go back to local charities-- my share of it - minus the taxes,” Brown promised. A full list of the 110 candidates running for mayor, city council, and local school boards can be found on the City of London website. Election Day is Oct. 28.
