Essex voters re-elect Sherry Bondy with nearly 3,000-vote margin

Sherry Bondy retained her position as mayor of Essex after unofficial results from Monday's election showed a wide victory over her opponent. Bondy accumulated 5,288 votes, while challenger Trevor Menard received 2,206. The margin of nearly 3,000 votes confirms a decisive return to the mayor's chair for Bondy, who first won the seat in 2022.

Bondy spent the previous twelve years as a Ward 4 councillor before moving to the top executive role. She described the election process as difficult but expressed immediate readiness to address the priorities raised by residents during the campaign period. "I’m thrilled that the voters, you know, chose me to lead the municipality again," Bondy said.

The mayor-elect attributed the result to consistent performance over the previous four-year term rather than final-week campaigning. She cited specific actions such as cost control and infrastructure investment as key drivers of voter confidence. "People are seeing that this term of council, we’ve worked hard. We’ve pinched pennies, we’ve invested in infrastructure," Bondy stated.

The incoming council composition features a mix of returning officials and new members. Bondy noted that the new body will have gender parity, a balance she described as rare within Essex County. She emphasized the combination of experienced leadership and fresh perspectives for the upcoming term.

Rob Shepley, the acclaimed Deputy Mayor, will join Bondy on the new council. In Ward 1, Katie McGuire-Blais and Joe Garon won their seats. Kim Verbeek secured the position in Ward 2. Ward 3 representatives Bill Baker and Ron Rogers also won their races.

Rachael Mills won the Ward 4 councillor seat. Several sitting members lost their positions in the vote. Jason Matyi, previously a Ward 3 councillor, was unseated. Rodney Hammond, who held the Ward 4 seat, also lost his bid for re-election.