Most Ward Councillors Absent from Richmond Hill Election Debates

Three nights of debates offered voters direct access to candidates, while most incumbent ward councillors stayed away. Short answer times and questions about candidate accountability also stood out.

By Staff Writer

Three evenings of election debates hosted by the Richmond Hill Board of Trade gave residents a chance to hear from candidates—but the absence of most incumbent ward councillors stood out.

Held October 6–8, the series included ward, mayoral, regional council and school board candidates. Mayor David West, Regional and Local Councillors Godwin Chan and Joe DiPaola, and Ward Councillors Carol Davidson and Scott Thompson participated. The other four incumbent ward councillors did not take part.

Ward 5 Councillor Karen Cilevitz announced beforehand that she would not attend, saying she had received information that some attendees intended to disrupt the meeting. She cited concerns about intimidation and the potential impact on her campaign team, attendees and family. In the same statement, she alleged that other Ward 5 candidates and their supporters had subjected her to personal attacks. Those allegations have not been independently verified by Strong Richmond Hill.

Candidate accountability also surfaced during the Ward 5 question period, when an attendee questioned Richard Rupp about his past tax-related conviction. Fellow candidates Paulin and Behrouzian both said that, if elected, they would push for background checks for municipal election candidates.

The format drew mixed reactions. Some councillors said the 40 seconds allotted to answer panel questions was too short, while one challenger offered a positive assessment of the event on his campaign website.

Beyond the formal discussions, residents had roughly half an hour beforehand, and some time afterward, to meet candidates individually and ask their own questions.

Few young people attended, although some were present on the final evening. One student put a question to the school board trustee candidates—a welcome moment of youth participation in a series where younger residents were largely missing.