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Gary Bennett (politician)

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Gary Bennett is a Canadian politician and local businessperson. He served as the mayor of the City of Kingston, Ontario, in Canada, from 1994 to 2000.

Work and education

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Bennett was born in Kingston and has lived there his entire life. He graduated from the Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 1972. He later went on to earn an Honours BA in Political Science from Queen’s University and a Masters in Public Administration from the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s.

Bennett began his early work career working in his family’s business, Bennett’s Foods. He is currently[as of?] employed as a Manager for Bendale Property Management, a condominium and asset management company that manages properties throughout the Kingston, Gananoque, and Brockville regions. Over the years, Bennett has been active in the riding associations of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, its successor, the Conservative Party of Canada and the provincial Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

Local councillor

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Bennett continued a family tradition of serving on Kingston City Council by being elected as the city councillor for St. Lawrence Ward in 1988. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather have all previously served on Kingston’s City Council. He served two terms as the councillor for the St. Lawrence district of the City of Kingston between 1988 and 1994.

During his time on council, Bennett served on the Kingston Police Services Board, the Kingston Library Board, Town Homes Kingston and the District Health Council for the region. He was active on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) serving on the Large Urban Caucus.

Mayor

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Bennett was elected for two terms as Mayor of the City of Kingston serving his first term from 1994 to 1997. As the head of council, he participated in the initiative to create the new City of Kingston from the old City of Kingston, Kingston Township and Pittsburgh Township. It was one of the few areas in Ontario that were able to achieve a locally negotiated agreement on amalgamation. As part of the amalgamation agreement, the local Public Utilities Commission was also assumed by the new City of Kingston. Bennett served as the last Mayor of the former City of Kingston.

In 1996, during his first term in office, Bennett spoke at the yearly gravesite ceremony honouring Canada’s first prime minister and Kingston resident John A. Macdonald. His address was later published by the Kingston Historical Society.[1]

Bennett was elected in 1997 as the first mayor of the newly amalgamated City of Kingston and served as Mayor from 1997 to 2000. During his term in office, Bennett led the community through a locally declared civic emergency, the Ice Storm of 1998. During his term, the city established a yearly capital surcharge on all property tax classes; he also chaired a local United Way campaign.

Bennett was unsuccessful when he ran for re-election in 2000, losing to Isabel Turner. The persistent difficulties faced by the new city’s first post-amalgamation government were considered a determining factor in the election outcome.[2]

Provincial politics

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On June 11, 2017, Bennett was nominated to represent the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in Kingston and the Islands in the 2018 provincial election, defeating a field of three other challengers for the nomination but was defeated in the subsequent provincial election, placing third behind the NDP and Liberal candidates.[3]


2022 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Ted Hsu 18,360 37.66 +10.14 $75,749
New Democratic Mary Rita Holland 15,186 31.15 −8.00 $130,691
Progressive Conservative Gary Bennett 11,973 24.56 −1.52 $62,419
Green Zachary Typhair 1,601 3.28 −3.14 $15,397
Ontario Party Shalea Beckwith 827 1.70   $7,396
New Blue Stephen Skyvington 429 0.88   $7,078
Independent Shelley Joanne Galloway 130 0.27   $0
Communist Sebastian Vaillancourt 123 0.25   $0
Consensus Ontario Laurel Claus Johnson 120 0.25   $0
Total valid votes/Expense limit 48,749 99.49 +0.40 $146,496
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 249 0.51 −0.40
Turnout 48,998 46.84 −10.45
Eligible voters 104,645
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing +9.07
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21.
2018 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Ian Arthur 21,788 39.16 +9.73
Liberal Sophie Kiwala 15,312 27.52 −14.54
Progressive Conservative Gary Bennett 14,512 26.08 +5.28
Green Robert Kiley 3,574 6.42 −0.81
Libertarian Heather Cunningham 274 0.49
Trillium Andre Imbeault 184 0.33
Total valid votes 55,644 99.09
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 510 0.91
Turnout 56,154 57.29
Eligible voters 98,020
New Democratic gain from Liberal Swing +12.14
Source: Elections Ontario[4]

References

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  1. ^ Historic Kingston Vol. 45 January 1997
  2. ^ Kingston Whig Standard November 14th, 2000
  3. ^ "Former mayor Bennett to represent PCS".
  4. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved 16 January 2019.