Both incumbents in this area were returned to office by voters on Thursday, February 27.
Trevor Jones, MPP for Chatham-Kent Leamington, and Anthony Leardi, MPP for Essex, each won their riding handily in the Provincial election. Both represent the PC Party of Ontario.
Voter turnout in Chatham-Kent Leamington was 48.38%, with Jones taking 52% of the votes for 22,250.
Liberal Bill Kirby was next with 7,856, while Christian Sachs for the NDP finished third with 7,333.
In Essex, it was much the same with incumbent Anthony Leardi cruising to victory with 55.46% of the vote.
Leardi’s 30,785 votes bested runner-up Rachael Mills of the NDP (12,047), with Tamara Stomp garnering 8,707 for the Liberals.
Essex boasted a 50.88% voter turnout with about half of the 109,000 register voters actually casting a ballot.
The Progressive Conservatives surged back into power again for the third majority government in Ford’s tenure, winning 80 parliamentary seats to 27 by the NDP, 14 by the Liberals, two by the Green Party and one independent seat.
For Trevor Jones, he sees the results as an opportunity to continue his work in Chatham-Kent Leamington.
“I knocked on thousands of doors during the campaign,” he said. “And I was overwhelmingly received by the people, who thanked me for taking the time to come to their door.”
Jones said that having lived in Leamington his whole life, he watched many politicians come to his family’s door over the years.
“As cold as it was, people were offering coffee and warmth,” he said. “That kept me motivated and kept me very positive.”
People were concerned about their jobs, including manufacturing, food processing and agri-business and Jones says a strong, supportive police service is important, along with infrastructure and housing.
Over in Essex, Anthony Leardi was happy to be returning for his second term.
“The next few years are going to be a roller coaster,” Leardi predicted, though backed Ford as the person to guide the province through it. “The mandate voters gave Ford and the Progressive Conservative party will last longer than Trump’s term as president,” he added.
Anthony Leardi, right, shakes the hand of one of his campaign volunteers after the votes were counted.
River Town Times photo
