Georgina elects a Mayor, a Regional Councillor, five ward councillors and school board trustees on Monday, October 26, 2026.[3] This page compiles every certified candidate and everything they have published about their platforms, with sources for every claim.
🗳️ Election Day: Mon Oct 26, 2026💻 Online voting: Oct 10 – 23🏫 Advance polls: Oct 10, 15, 17, 20📋 Nominations closed Aug 21
01Election basics
Ontario municipal elections are held every four years. Voters across the province go to the polls on October 26, 2026, including in the Town of Georgina.[3][4]
Mayor × 1Elected at large; also sits on York Regional Council.[6]
Regional Councillor × 1Georgina elects its own Regional Councillor in addition to the Mayor — one of the few York Region municipalities to do so.[6][4]
Ward Councillors × 5One councillor for each of the town's five wards.[3]
School trustees × 4English public, English separate, French public and French separate trustees.[3]
NominationsMay 1 – Aug 21, 2026; mayor required a $200 fee, councillors/trustees $100, plus 25 signatures.[3][14]
Returning OfficerTown Clerk Rachel Dillabough ran the election from the Civic Centre, Keswick.[3]
24 candidates were certified for council and the English public school board by the Town Clerk; Catholic and French board trustee candidates are certified through neighbouring municipalities' clerks.[2][24] Three candidates withdrew before nomination day: Shannon DeLenardo (Ward 2, Aug 14), Antonio Romans (Ward 4, Aug 13) and Bruce Adkins (Ward 5, Aug 21).[1]
Note on sources: the Town publishes candidate contact details but states it does not verify, authorize or endorse any candidate's own information.[1] Platform summaries below are drawn from campaign websites and news coverage, each with a numbered citation; where a candidate has published nothing findable online, that is stated explicitly rather than guessed.
02The issues defining this race
Common threads across the 2026 campaigns — tax increases and debt, growth and infrastructure, and how openly council makes decisions.
🧾 Taxes & debt
Council adopted the 2026 budget under "strong mayor powers" — Mayor Quirk's budget was deemed adopted Dec 2, 2025 with no council amendments.[22] Challenger Dale Kerr Genge argues residential taxes rose 77% (2013–24) against 43% income growth, and long-term debt grew from $12M (2013) to an anticipated $127.5M by 2027.[35][34]
🏗️ Big projects & growth
The 2026 budget funds the Replacement Civic Centre, Willow Beach Park revitalization, a new park in Simcoe Landing, Stephen Leacock Theatre upgrades and planning for a South Keswick fire hall — "growth pays for growth" is the town's framing.[22] Several challengers run against spending on projects they call "nice-to-do," including the Lake Drive one-way conversion.[34] Stephen Faudemer pledges a motion targeting a 0% property tax increase for 2027.[29]
🏥 Health care
A signature Quirk-era file: after a 2024 memorandum and a $210,000 town contribution to a health assessment, Georgina secured an advanced care centre through Southlake Health's distributed network, while a new acute-care hospital moves ahead nearby.[38]
🌊 Lake Simcoe & rural character
Protecting the lake, shoreline, farmland and the town's rural wards is a near-universal campaign theme — from "Love the Lake" incumbent Charlene Biggerstaff to Ward 5 challenger Karen Wolfe, who opposes a proposed aerodrome and wants a Northlander train stop in Pefferlaw.[27][21]
🏛️ Transparency & process
A recurring complaint this cycle: the strong-mayor budget process ended open two-day budget debates, a change Genge has publicly fought and pledges to reverse.[36][22] Multiple challengers campaign on "listening" pledges, faster permits, and easier access to their councillor.[9][29][26]
🚌 Services & roads
Traffic calming, road maintenance, stormwater and water rates run through nearly every ward race; Mike Anderson (Ward 4) campaigns on capping water rates, and Andrew Edge (Ward 3) on data-driven traffic calming and stormwater upgrades.[28][42]
03Mayor
A three-way race: incumbent Margaret Quirk, Ward 4 councillor Dale Kerr Genge, and Frank Sebo, a former Ward 4 councillor who also ran for mayor in 2022.[13] All three sat together at the Georgina Chamber of Commerce all-candidates debate, produced with Rogers TV — highlights below.[43]
Margaret Quirk
INCUMBENT
Mayor since 2018 · on council since 1994 · Georgina resident 40+ years[38][8]
Platform: Seeking a fourth term on "experience, teamwork, stability, and steady leadership" — arguing "there is still important work to do."[8]
Continue the Choose Georgina economic-development strategy: business growth, investment, tourism, entrepreneurship and jobs.[8]
"Growth must be managed responsibly" — infrastructure investment, support for local business, opportunities for families, seniors and youth, keeping Georgina "welcoming and affordable."[8]
Record: advanced care centre secured via Southlake Health; partnerships for high-speed internet, health care and affordable housing.[38][8]
📧 quirk4mayor@gmail.com [1]No campaign website registered with the Town[1]
Dale Kerr Genge
CHALLENGERWARD 4 CAND.
Incumbent Ward 4 Councillor · professional engineer · business owner · 37-year resident[40]
Platform: "For Mayor, For Taxpayers" — put "the TRUST back into municipal government."[7]
Fiscal restraint: hiring freeze on new full-time staff (FTEs +55% since 2013 vs 10% population growth), limit consultants, freeze "nice-to-do" projects; cancel the Lake Drive one-way project.[34]
Taxes in check: operational-efficiency review; overhaul the council-remuneration policy to stop benchmarking pay to Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill.[35]
Open budgets: replace the strong-mayor "final budget" with a draft budget debated openly by full Council.[36]
Transparency & business: regular town halls, publicized agendas, fewer permit hoops so commercial growth eases residential tax pressure.[37][7]
~30-year resident · describes himself as having 8 years of council experience in the 2026 campaign[43] · officially elected to Ward 4 in 2018 (944 votes)[17] · ran for mayor in 2022, receiving 968 votes in the six-candidate mayor's race[16] · filed nomination Aug 20, 2026[1]
Platform: No campaign website; registered presence is a Facebook page ("Elect Frank Sebo") and email.[1] His substantive 2026 positions came out at the Chamber/Rogers TV all-candidates debate — see the debate section.[43]
📧 sebo4georginamayor@gmail.com[1]👤 Facebook: Elect Frank Sebo[1]
🎤 At the Chamber of Commerce all-candidates debate
Georgina Chamber of Commerce × Rogers TV · uploaded Sept 29, 2026 · 45 min
All three mayoral candidates — Quirk, Sebo and Genge — appeared together, moderated by Chamber executive director Jennifer Anderson under one-minute answer rules with hand-raised rebuttals; the Chamber ran debates for every Georgina race.[43] Highlights, from the auto-generated captions (names and figures lightly cleaned; watch the full debate ↗):[43]
Frank Sebo
DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS
Infrastructure-first: "infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure" — waterfront investment spread across Georgina's 52 km shoreline "rather than spending it all at Willow Beach," with the harbour/marina as priority; said he could accomplish more with the $8.4M Willow Beach budget.[43]
Taxes: target 2–3% budget cuts in every department within the first year as his measurable goal; press the region/province/federal government for more funding because weekend tourists strain Georgina's infrastructure.[43]
Lake Simcoe: warned the lake is "almost halfway to becoming a saltwater lake" (tipping point cited around 2050) — find alternatives to road salt, including for the potential Bradford Bypass, which he said he has favoured.[43]
Tourism realism: doesn't believe in growing the destination — "even if we sat on our hands, we'd have more tourists" — infrastructure should serve residents first, with better management of visitor traffic.[43]
Permits: streamline processes but keep the rules; permits must be fully cost-recovered — taxpayers shouldn't subsidize new businesses.[43]
Defended big-project timing: on the Civic Centre and multi-use recreation complex — "you buy real estate and wait"; building when money was available saved taxpayers millions versus today's prices.[43]
Closing pitch: energy and passion; "taxes are almost too much to bear" — do more with less without breaking the bank.[43]
Dale Kerr Genge
DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS
Don't build for growth that hasn't arrived: decade-old projections said ~70,000 residents by now versus "just over 50" — "don't make decisions based on anticipated growth until it's confirmed."[43]
Waterfront: pause the $8.4M Willow Beach spend pending resident input; prioritize the marina, where disintegrating styrofoam blocks are polluting the lake; flagged debt topping $127M by end of next year.[43]
Taxes: property taxes up 88% over three terms — "more than double the rate of inflation" — staff up ~55–58% against 18% population growth; residents pay a higher share of lower incomes than comparable municipalities.[43]
Red tape: one town contact per application (concierge service for everyone, as big developers get), published review time-standards, fast-track for decks/accessory dwellings, one set of comments with "no new requirements partway through."[43]
Housing: keep development inside settlement areas; push inclusionary zoning (which she says she deputized for); sought a building-code change to allow year-round park-model trailers.[43]
Tourism: park in-and-out privileges so day-trippers spend at local businesses; create a Georgina Arts Council to give visitors reasons beyond hockey and the beach.[43]
Cross-exchange: pressed Mayor Quirk on who pays for the business-park pumping station — developers or taxpayers?[43] First-year goal: taxpayers "in a better financial position" and trust restored.[43]
Margaret Quirk
DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS
The numbers defence: five-year operating tax increases averaged 2.73% vs 3.06% CPI; over $20M in investment income and $12M+ in grants (2022–25) offset taxpayer burden; 88% of new staff funded by growth, reserves or cost recovery — only 12% from the tax levy.[43]
Growth pays for growth: the business park's pumping station would come from development charges with business owners fronting the money, negotiated with the private landowners and the Region.[43]
Willow Beach defence: most of the $8.4M is development charges ($5.4M) and cash-in-lieu ($1.4M) that came with the project; the town only took full ownership two years ago; the rebuild fixes drainage and phosphorus loading into Lake Simcoe; agreed the harbour (capital plan 2027/28) should move sooner if possible.[43]
Environment: Georgina is "all Greenbelt" outside the Keswick/Sutton secondary-plan growth areas — hold the line, densify within them (population scheduled to grow to 70,000), including higher-density corridors like Woodbine.[43]
Tourism: a hotel in the business park, bring back the Red Barn venue, build on agri-tourism (Field-to-Table, studio tours, the pow-wow) and promote Georgina in Toronto, including international visitors at the Village Museum.[43]
Permits: pointed to the new development-tracking portal and expanded business-concierge program — "we're always open for business."[43]
Framing: "change for the sake of change or experienced leadership that keeps moving Georgina forward"; first-year goal: new businesses and a hotel in the business park.[43]
04Regional Councillor
Two incumbents' faces, but only one seeking re-election: Davison vs. Fardy. The winner splits between Georgina Council and York Regional Council.[6]
Naomi Davison
INCUMBENT
12+ years on council: Ward 1 Cllr. 2010–16, Regional Cllr./Deputy Mayor from 2016, returned as Regional Councillor in 2022 with ~70% of the vote[32][19]
Platform: "Honesty. Integrity. Experience." — a promise to keep listening and push positive change, built on a long council record and small-business background (she ran an education business in Keswick for two decades).[32]
Notable 2026 subplot: she simultaneously ran (and lost) as the Ontario Liberal candidate in the Sept. 3 York–Simcoe provincial byelection, finishing second to PC Susan Lahey — she vowed to keep serving as regional councillor throughout.[39][18]
Platform: "A Strong Voice for Georgina" — a Georgina that "grows responsibly" with a clearer, more accountable local government.[25]
Transparent budgeting — no secrets around taxpayer money, easily accessible spending information.[25]
Effective partnerships — use corporate and political connections to attract sponsors and businesses, while keeping York Region agreements focused on Georgina, its taxpayers and the lake.[25]
Community safety — back emergency services; balance traffic calming with emergency-vehicle access.[25]
Regional attention — as York Region's most northerly town, Georgina needs a strong advocate for equal access to regional housing, health, transit and emergency services.[25]
Ward 1 Councillor 2022–26 · 20+ years living, working and volunteering in Georgina[27]
Platform: "Raise the standards. Protect what matters. Grow with purpose."[27]
Deliver what's already funded/planned — the five-acre Simcoe Landing park, new fire hall with healthcare space, and the town's first solid 10-year asset-management plan.[27]
Plan for growth while roads, parks, recreation and housing keep pace; improve everyday spaces (roads, drainage, aging water systems, beaches, trails).[27]
Make it easier to do business; protect Lake Simcoe, the Greenbelt, waterways and farms.[27]
The town's busiest ward race: four certified candidates for the ward around Uptown Keswick.[9]
Dan Fellini
INCUMBENT
Filed May 22, 2026 with no campaign contact/website registered[1]
Platform: No campaign platform, website or social accounts were registered with the Town, and none were found online.[1]
Mike Gurr
CHALLENGER
15+ years building businesses and managing budgets; Ward 2 resident[9]
Platform: A "clear and realistic plan to make growth work" for Ward 2.[9]
Keep taxes down: expand non-resident paid parking (tourists use the waterfront), cap property-tax increases at inflation, focus on basics — roads, snow, answered calls.[9]
Growth: a revitalized Uptown Keswick, enhanced traffic calming on residential streets, faster approvals for housing Ward 2 needs.[9]
Accessibility pledges: 24-hour response time, monthly office hours, every council vote explained in plain language.[9]
Inclusion — disability-services background (deaf-blind intervention, employment services); accessible information and services designed in from the start.[26]
Accessible local government — clearer communication and help navigating permits, facilities, planning and by-laws.[26]
Resident engagement — Coffee Talks, community meetings, representation that continues after election day.[26]
Rural & agricultural voices — Ward 4 is more than Sutton/Jackson's Point; farms and rural roads deserve a seat at the table.[26]
"Smart, responsible growth — not growth for growth's sake"; support existing business and attract new investment; hear residents before votes are cast.[33]
Grew up in Ward 5 · founder/publisher of the Pefferlaw/Georgina Post (sold 2019) · Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee & King Charles III Coronation Medal recipient[41][10]
Platform: "Responsive, Responsible and Accountable"[10]
Fight "unfair taxation" and rising costs; question soaring community debt and its tax-levy impact; "no growth for growth's sake."[10]
A resident-approved Holmes Point Waterfront Strategy and expanded housing at Rixon Manor for seniors.[21]
Lobby for a Northlander train stop in Pefferlaw; continue opposing the proposed aerodrome on Old Homestead Road.[10][21]
Protect Ward 5's forests, the Pefferlaw River and Lake Simcoe shoreline "against the type of urbanization that could threaten them."[41]
Georgina shares its trustees with neighbouring towns: one York Region DSB trustee for Georgina & East Gwillimbury, and one York Catholic trustee for Georgina, East Gwillimbury and Newmarket.[14]
York Region District School Board (English public)
Platform: No campaign website was registered; presence is Facebook/Instagram ("votemary4trustee").[1] In an unofficial TDot News readers' straw poll of the Georgina/East Gwillimbury race, she edged Lai 40 votes to 37 — an indicative online survey, not a poll.[20]
Hayden Lai
CHALLENGER
Former York Region student trustee — represented 130,371 students and was the first re-elected student trustee in over a decade[31]
Safe schools — consistent consequences for violence and discrimination with zero tolerance for hate, restore School Resource Officers and the York Regional Police partnership, publish guest speakers in advance, reach struggling students with mental-health supports.[31]
A new high school in East Gwillimbury (the only York Region municipality without one) and better busing for Sutton, Pefferlaw and Keswick students.[31]
Special-education supports without the fight; divert money from consultants/bureaucracy to classrooms; a real field for Sutton District High School; proper Remembrance Day ceremonies and Canadian heritage content.[31]
York Catholic District School Board (English separate)
Georgina + East Gwillimbury + Newmarket · 3 candidates
Certified through the Clerk of Newmarket: Rosa Calabrese, Theresa McNicol and Kevin Moore.[2][1] Limited public platform information was found; the campaign site registered for Kevin Moore returned a "page not found" error as of Oct 15, 2026.[1]
Conseil Scolaire Viamonde: Hanane Jaouich-Diakité was the only Viamonde candidate registered through Georgina's nomination process.[1] Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir: Ibrahim M. Elias and Christella Basosila Lome, certified through the Clerk of Vaughan.[1][2] No public platforms found for these races.[1]
11Sources
Every fact on this page is linked to a numbered source. Campaign websites present candidates' own claims; the Town of Georgina and this page do not verify or endorse candidate statements.[1]
Part of Canada Municipal Elections 2026 — a candidate directory for Ontario, British Columbia & Manitoba. This page is the in-depth Georgina guide; certified data: AMO portal.