Duane Hicks
Fort Frances is navigating through rough waters but it’s clear many voters want Roy Avis at the helm to steer the community to a more stable, prosperous future.
Mayor Avis was re-elected to a third-consecutive term in Monday’s municipal election, garnering 1,459 votes to beat Coun. Andrew Hallikas (1,118) and former mayor Dan Onichuk (406).
“It’s been an exciting time for me,” said Mayor Avis.
“Having gone through five elections [two as councillor and three as a mayoral candidate], it’s been great and I really want to thank the community for trusting me and giving me a mandate for another four years,” he noted.
“As I said through the campaign, I know we’re on the right course,” Mayor Avis added.
“It’s going to be tough to maintain what we’ve got but I think with the colleagues I’ve got to work with, we will make the proper decisions,” he remarked.
Mayor Avis said he was pleased to see that incumbent councillors John Albanese, Doug Kitowski, Ken Perry, and Paul Ryan were re-elected along with himself as it brings a sense of continuity to how council operates.
“In any type of team that you build, you’ve got have a core,” he reasoned. “And I am really glad to see that we’re going to have a core.
“The other thing is it’s great to see there’s going to be two women [Wendy Brunetta and June Caul] joining us on council,” Mayor Avis added.
“It gives us a broader view of the community and different ideas.
“It’s good see these new faces and I know that council will want to work with them, making the best decisions for Fort Frances,” he said.
The mayor and new council will be sworn in Dec. 1.
Mayor Avis said there’s a lot of work to be done in the next month. For one, he has to decide who goes on which committees.
An orientation period, as well as a strategic planning process, also will need to be completed.
Mayor Avis saluted everyone who put their name forward to run in the municipal election.
“It takes real commitment and courage to put your name on a ballot,” he remarked.
“I know that not everyone can win but believe me, it shows that they have a great passion for this community.”
Hallikas, a councillor for the past eight years who decided to vie for the mayor’s chair this time around, thinks the election was “great for Fort Frances, regardless of individual results.”
“What pleased me was the number of candidates putting their names forward and the amount of discussion that it generated in the community about important issues,” he said.
“I think this is one of the most exciting elections we’ve had in a long, long while.
“I was very pleased to see we elected two women of such high-calibre to our council, and I think the community feels that way from the high vote count they got,” Hallikas added.
As for his own campaign, Hallikas feels he encouraged some discussion and debate in the community, and is pleased with all the support he got—whether it was the 1,118 people who voted for him or simply those who engaged him on topics.
He also thanked every candidate who put their name forward.
“That takes courage,” he agreed. “You take a risk putting yourself out there, and we need people who are willing to take a risk on behalf of their community.”
He also noted the voter turnout of 55 percent could have been a little bit better, but was “respectable” nonetheless.
“I think, overall, Fort Frances is the big winner,” he remarked.
Hallikas also said he learned valuable lessons over the past eight years on council.
“First of all, I learned—as the newcomers are about to learn—serving on council is no easy task, there’s a steep learning curve,” he noted.
“People should never enter into it if they’re about just one issue.
“You’re dealing with six other people and compromise is the order of the day,” he remarked.
“You have to give and take.”
The other main thing Hallikas said he learned is the calibre of the people working for the town.
“I am so impressed with every single person I met during my tenure as a councillor in terms of their dedication to the job, their capabilities, and their overall competence,” he said.
“People just don’t see that because they get upset over little issues,” he reasoned. “No one can do everything just the way everybody wants, but we have such a dedicated staff.
“It’s quite lean so people have had to be doing more and more, but we have such a dedicated workforce.”
Looking ahead, Hallikas said he plans on staying involved in the community in any number of ways, including serving on several town committees as a citizen appointee.
“I do still want to contribute to the community in every way I can,” he pledged.
Onichuk, who served as mayor from 2003-06, said he wishes the newly-elected well.
“I’d just like to say congratulations to Roy Avis and all of the other successful candidates,” he remarked shortly after the results were revealed around midnight on Monday.
“Thank you to all of those who supported me in any way you did,” he added.
“I hope some of the messages I sent out through this campaign will help change our community in the future, with a more diverse and open mayor and council,” Onichuk said.
