With less than 120 days to go, Richmond Hill’s municipal election race is slowly taking shape, but some candidate entries on the City’s website still lack contact details.
By City Desk
With less than 120 days left before Richmond Hill voters choose their next council, the 2026 municipal election is beginning to take shape, but the campaign has yet to fully break into the public conversation.
Voting Day is Monday, October 26, with online voting scheduled to begin on October 20 and in-person voting available on October 24, October 25 and Election Day. Candidate nominations remain open until Friday, August 21 at 2 p.m., meaning the list of names is still unofficial and could continue to change over the summer.
As of the City’s latest registered candidates list, races are now forming for mayor, regional and local councillor, and all six ward councillor seats. The regional race has also grown, with Godwin Chan, Marco Coletta and Joe DiPaola listed as candidates for the two regional and local councillor seats.
Ward races are uneven so far. Ward 4 has the largest field, with Sharon Chisholm, Simon Cui, Rose Weinberg and Danny Yoon listed. Ward 5 has Karen Cilevitz, Marty Paulin and Richard Rupp. Ward 1 has Carol Davidson and Giovanni Nardone, while Ward 2 has Muhammad Kermalli and Sigmund Lee. Ward 3 currently lists Juni Yeung, and Ward 6 now lists Michael Shiu, who filed on June 29.
The slow summer pace may be one reason the election has not yet become a major topic for many residents. Between concerns over the cost of living, everyday household pressures and the excitement around FIFA World Cup matches, local politics has had to compete for attention.
But the election will decide who sits at the table for the next term of council, from November 15, 2026 to November 14, 2030. That council will deal with issues many residents already talk about daily, including housing, property taxes, traffic, road safety, local businesses, parks and development.
There is also a practical challenge for residents trying to learn about candidates early. Some candidates listed on the City’s website do not yet have phone numbers, email addresses, websites or social media links attached to their entries. One candidate told STRH that their campaign details had not been added to the City’s page despite asking for them to be included.
The City’s candidate page notes that the list remains unofficial until the City Clerk certifies nomination forms after nominations close on August 21. The City also says it does not verify, authorize or endorse information on individual candidate websites or social media pages.
For voters, that means the campaign may still feel quiet, but the race is already underway. The candidate list is growing, the nomination deadline is approaching, and the decisions made in this election will shape Richmond Hill’s next four years.