By Doug Draper
Peter Kormos is eager to get back into the political arena. Only this time, the arena would be closer to home.
Peter Kormos running for Niagara regional council
A veteran of provincial and municipal politics, the 59-year-old native of Welland has announced his intentions to run for the Niagara regional council seat vacated by Cindy Forster last fall when she won a seat at Queen’s Park as the NDP candidate for the Welland Riding. Forster ran provincially after Kormos made it known last spring that after 23 years as the NDP representative for the Welland Riding, he had decided not to seek another term at Queen’s Park.
As for his decision to join a field of six other candidates, including former Welland mayor Damian Goulbourne, for the empty seat at the Region, Kormos stated in a February 6 media release that “he is eager to continue to contribute” in public affairs. “Welland needs a strong voice on regional council,” he said, and “I believe that I can be an effective advocate for Welland.”
He went on to identify a number of priorities: protecting the autonomy of Niagara’s cities, ensuring that the Region deals only with regional issues, and protecting taxpayers from inappropriate expenditures and unnecessary duplication of services.
Kormos has lived all of his life in Welland. He began his law practice in 1980 and was elected to Welland City Council in 1985. He was elected to the provincial legislature in 1988 and soon became known across the province as a tireless fighter for his constituents. Kormos served as his party’s house leader for the last ten years along with numerous critic portfolios
“Over the course of the last 23 years I’ve built relationships with politicians of all political stripes in both Toronto and Ottawa. I can put that to good use as a regional councillor,” Kormos said.
The other candidates running in the March 26 by-election for the regional seat, aside from Goulbourne, are former public school board trustee Larry Lemelin, former Welland city and regional councillor John Mastrianni, retired Atlas Steels worker Joseph Myciak and former Welland city councillors Mark Dzugan and David Alexander.
Welland has two directly elected seats on regional council, the second of which is filled by George Marshall, who won another term at the Region in the 2010 municipal elections. Welland is also represented on the regional council by its mayor Barry Sharpe.
Niagara’s regional council agreed to a by-election to fill Forster’s seat after motions to have someone appointed to the seat – motions that many Welland residents protested again – were turned down. The by-election is expected to cost regional taxpayers about $100,000.
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Niagara At Large 
Now that’s what I’m talking about –
“He went on to identify a number of priorities: protecting the autonomy of Niagara’s cities, ensuring that the Region deals only with regional issues, and protecting taxpayers from inappropriate expenditures and unnecessary duplication of services.”
Good Luck!
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Well perhaps without a party system to hamper him he may be able to make improvements for southern Niagara, however what I don’t get is why that same strong voice was no longer needed at the provincial level or was it just ineffective there ? ie look where the new hospital is!
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we need hundreds more the quality of Kormos in politics and many of our problems would be solved.
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I think I’ll be attending Regional meeting. Should be interesting and exciting.
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“…protecting taxpayers from inappropriate expenditures and unnecessary duplication of services.”
I’ll believe it when I see it! Hope that means Peter would look at outsourcing services which the private sector can deliver at a better price?
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Peter has certainly left his mark in provincial politics but would anyone say that Welland, where he served, is better off today than a quarter of a century ago? Curious.
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Welland is way better off thanks to Peter Kormos. Perhaps Mr. Petrowski will blame the Caterpillar fiasco on Mr. Kormos as well?
Blame it on a failing economic system that worships the private sector to the detriment of the many.
Perhaps Mr. P is also a fan of P3 hospitals and outsourcing nursng and cleaning work? What about privatization of health care? Are you a fan of that as well?
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Mr. Taliano, aren’t you going a bit far putting words into my mouth or is that your style? I merely asked a question followed by the solicitation, “Curious.” In any event, if Mr. Kormos is successful in his bid I am confident he will be warmly welcomed and he have will have plenty of opportunity to improving life in Niagara from a “region” perspective.
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hmmmm…Andy Petrowski, why does that name sound familiar?
Is he this guy Doug Herod wrote about?
“It would be difficult to understate the dislike between St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan and St. Catharines regional councillor Andy Petrowski. They really can’t stand each other. Petrowski’s political philosophy can be summed up, thusly: if McMullan’s in favour of something, he’s against it. As for McMullan, he’s like Inspector Clouseau’s boss in those old Pink Panther movies. At the mere mention of Petrowski’s name, the mayor experiences uncontrollable facial tics.
I mention this in light of McMullan’s opening remarks to council Monday night. He talked about regional council giving the final green light for a new police palace in Niagara Falls. In doing so, he mentioned how expensive the development would be, the number of job losses in downtown St. Catharines the re-location would cause and how accurate the city had been in projecting the real space needs for the project. But what was really “surprising,” said McMullan, was that one of the city’s own regional councillors voted in favour of the project, even though the $83-million expenditure was putting the Region “into a spiral of debt.” It was “the first time I’ve ever seen it happen,” said McMullan of the break in city solidarity over the police accommodations issue. The St. Catharines councillor who did not support the city’s position, the mayor informed city council and the cable TV audience, “was the new councillor, regional councillor Petrowski.”
Ouch.
Over to you, Andy.”
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Give me a break, Mr. Braybrook. And if you must recite Herod, why aren’t you at least fair about it? Why did you purposefully ignore his other editorial where Doug scolded Mayor Brian for using his bully pulpit to attack an innocent councillor? Little cowardly wasn’t McMullan? You might recall Mr. Herod wrote on April 15, 2011 regarding the SAME subject:
“This (moving the police HQ to Niagara Falls) is all water under the bridge of course. The fight to keep the police headquarters in St. Catharines ended A LONG TIME AGO (emphasis added)….Problem is, he (McMullan) went too far…McMullan was wrong to single out, with no opportunity for rebuttal a fellow municipal elected official for no other reason than he dared disagree with a symbolic gesture made by other St. Catharines Regional Councillors. Sermons from the mayor’s pulpit on Monday nights should not be used to settle petty political scores.”
Touche, Mr. Braybrook.
That you would think of selectively quoting one Herod piece about the police HQ and missing another under Mr. Draper’s article about Mr. Kormos’ decision to enter the Welland race puts you into the same “petty” camp as your pal, Mayor Brian. Not over to you, Tom.
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There can be no doubt that Peter Kormos championed his constituents during his 23 years as MPP. Legislative and news archives are brimming with examples.The plurality he achieved in elections speaks volumes to the devotion and success he has had with the voters.
At the same time he has been controversial, outspoken and most of all created enmity with the opposition. For that I respect him as a political force but have very little patience or regard for his political (or lack thereof) accomplishments.
A perfect example are the challenges Niagara and in particular South Niagara have faced with the Niagara Health System. It started with the site selection of the new St. Catharines Hospital, the HIP and the general degradation of health services throughout the Region. Who were the real political champions in that fight? Kim Craitor to be sure for having not only standing up for his constituents standing up against his own caucus. Vance Badewey,, Bob Seracino even John Maloney, in Port Colborne, Frank Campion and Rocky Letourneau in Welland. Fort Erie and Niagara Falls had their champions as well. The point is during this difficult period Welland’s “bad boy”, the guy you would expect to throw caution to the wind was strangely silent. Finally, with typical fulmination he thought the NHS Board of directors should be elected and spoke up in 2010 against the LHINs.
I would love to hear his response..
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Bradley told Kormos to shut up about the hospital or else the 406 would never be extended in his life-time.
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Thats as moderate as it gets.
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Petrowski – two things.
First – I was simply curious as to why someone of your place and position would be posting on the Niagara at Large board, hence my question. And the “selective” Herod quote was the first one up on Google. Since I don’t know you from Adam, nor do I care too – judging by your extreme belligerence – it seemed a reasonable query.
Second, I have no affiliation with your Mayor McMullan, and my query was unrelated to him and thus no mention of him in my post.
You need to lighten up my friend. I realize the emotional stresses of political office can be challenging, but really, your paranoia is showing!
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Mr. Braybrook, Thank you for helping to moderate this site. I will try to reserve all of my comments for Council from now on. How dare I say anything anywhere but from my elected vantage or have any thoughts outside that realm also? After all, I may be a citizen like you but obviously with less rights.
I am sorry you confuse my passion to help people with belligerence. And paranoia? Hardly. Careful, maybe…you can never be too sure what your socialist friends are up to on any given day. Only “The Shadow” knows!
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I hope Peter Kormos (or any other person who would be elected in his stead) will take the interests of the entire region to the table, instead of his or her little corner of it, which has been the problem with regional council for way too long … parochialism and “not in my backyard” and fighting with one another for locations for businesses, etc. Parochialism is the number one reason we have not yet had a fully functional regional transit system, let alone a light rail system that can anybody from point A to point B from and to anywhere in this region. I just want to put my voice at the table as one who has felt poorly served by regional council for many of these reasons. If the new councillor is willing and eager to take the whole region’s interests into account, then I might be a little more hopeful.
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I see no one has rallied behind Kormos regarding my earlier comments. Can’t defend the indefensible, eh?
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I wish him well. I just hope someone, whether it’s Peter or someone else, that can fight this negative parochialism that is nearly destroying the region.
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Peter’s true colours, should he win, will be very apparent within the first 22 seconds he speaks at council. IF he wins, he deserves at least that long to show the people of Welland and Niagara what he really stands for.
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Parochialism has been demonized far too long. Parochialism was a way in which government, such as it was, stayed accountable to the grass roots. Factually, Peter represents a positive parochialism, one base on accountability and a bottom-up form democracy. It is understood that Peter will represent the interests of his electors, those who would bestow on him the legitimacy of office, narrow as these interests may appear to those removed from the realities of the greater Welland area. That would be the most compelling reason to vote for him.
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Cindy Forster is campaigning with him and endorsing him. I would think that as a team they will make a strong case for improved hospital services.
The best person to ask for issues related to platform etc. would be Mr. Kormos.
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Mr. Kormos’ party is not the author of the dysfunctional, anti-Canadian ideology that has impaired health care in this country.That dubious honor belongs to two other parties.
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John,I have a LOT of respect for Peter Kormos. He even fought his own caucus on a number of issues that impacted on some folks I was working with when the NDP WAS in power. If he gets in, I am sure he would remain a strong force for the people.
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