Light rail transit was often framed as the biggest issue in the race for Waterloo Region’s top job.
If that’s the case, Monday’s result – regional chair Ken Seiling holding onto his job with 59 per cent of the vote, compared to 24 per cent for top challenger Jay Aissa – would be seen as a clear indication of the region’s residents’ willingness to move ahead with the Ion system.
But the principals involved say light rail transit was never the be-all and end-all of the election.
“I certainly didn’t run on for or against LRT. I ran on a bigger platform,” Seiling told CTV News on Tuesday.
Aissa, who first entered the political arena by starting a petition against the light rail transit project, said he wouldn’t continue to fight it – even if he doesn’t think that issue is what decided the election.
“I don’t think it was about light rail transit. It was about the team that Mr. Seiling put behind him,” he said, referring to several veteran regional councillors.
“That team is going to back up each other, and that’s what happened last night.”
Aissa, who didn’t rule out future political ambitions, said he still plans to move his fencing business from its Waterloo location due to the impact he expects from light rail transit construction.
Retired University of Waterloo political science professor Robert Williams likewise said that even if non-transit issues were barely visible during the campaign, they likely played a greater role on boting day.
“The overall results suggest that LRT was not a deciding factor, at least not in a negative sense. It’s a fait accompli,” he said.
The Ion system is expected to be up and running in Kitchener and Waterloo by 2017.
