Former Welland Mayor Gets NDP Nod In Welland Riding

Posted on August 8, 2011 by | 1 Comment

A News Brief from Niagara At Large

Cindy Forster, a former Welland mayor now serving as a regional councillor for the city, has been chosen by New Democratic Party members to run in the Welland Riding in the upcoming provincial election.

Welland NDP candidate Cindy Forster

Forster won the nomination for the riding at meeting of the riding’s NDP members in Welland this August 7. Her only challenger was Mick Riddle, a retired Niagara Regional Police officer. The victory for Forster means that she will be the one campaigning to keep a seat that the NDP has held firmly for more than three decades, with the late Mel Swart and retiring Peter Kormos serving the riding’s constituents as MPP.

Forster is now of to the races in an October 6 election against Conservative candidate Dominec Ursini, a former Port Colborne city councillor, and Liberal candidate Benoit Mercier, a teacher who has served on the executive committee of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation.

(We encourage you to share your views on this news in the comment boxes below.)

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

One response to “Former Welland Mayor Gets NDP Nod In Welland Riding”

  1. Chris Wojnarowski | August 8, 2011 at 7:32 pm | Reply

    Like many in Welland, I have great respect for Ms Forster. She is an articulate and seasoned public servant. However, to date she has had the luxury of being able to split her allegiances between her constituency and the NHS without the appearance of conflict of interest. She got an overwhelming endorsement in the Regional Council election because she was not seen as someone who turned her back on the voters.

    Now, however, is a defining moment. The time has come for those who run for office to draw a line in the sand. Either they are with us, or they are with the power elite.

    The issue of the “Niagara Hosptal Swamp” makes it imperative that Ms Forster takes a side. The voters of Welland are through with fence sitting and ambiguity. Either Cindy remains silent on the NHS, the C-Diff situation, the closure of Port Colborne Hospital, the diversion of resources away from the Welland riding, and is defacto an appologist for Queens Park, OR she makes it clear that she understands her only legitimacy comes from the ballot box.

    Welland and Niagara South needs a champion for the disenfranchised, someone with the passion and courage to speak out forcefully and often, for accountability and the clean up of the “NHSwamp”. I pray she makes the right decision.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.