{"id":39197,"date":"2026-10-29T15:01:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T19:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=39197"},"modified":"2026-10-29T15:01:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T19:01:53","slug":"aurora-returns-mrakas-for-third-term-as-mayor-elects-four-council-newcomers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/aurora-returns-mrakas-for-third-term-as-mayor-elects-four-council-newcomers\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora returns Mrakas for third term as Mayor, elects four Council newcomers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aurora voters have given Tom Mrakas a third term as Mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrakas was re-elected to the Town\u2019s top job on Monday night in a field that included John Gallo, Shawn Deane, and Yafang Shi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the third time that we\u2019ve gone through this, and I\u2019m very proud of the entire team,\u201d Mrakas before a large group of supporters at Aw, Shucks after the numbers rolled in. \u201cWe ran a clean campaign, an honest campaign. There was a couple of times that we felt that maybe we should get into the mud, but we said, \u2018Absolutely not. That\u2019s not who we are, that\u2019s not who I am, and that\u2019s not what Aurora is about.\u2019 We stayed above it all, and I\u2019m very, very proud not only of all of you, of everyone that\u2019s been standing behind us, everyone that\u2019s supported, but I am proud of the entire Town of Aurora for kicking negativity to the curb.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrakas, who was referencing challenger John Gallo\u2019s pledge to \u201ckick Strong Mayor Powers to the curb,\u201d secured a third term with 8,526 votes, according to the unofficial tally compiled by the Town on election night. Placing second in the poll was outgoing Ward 5 Councillor Gallo with 4,991, followed by Deane with 1,521, and Shi with 643.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voter turnout was 31.2 per cent in 2026, a slight uptick from voter participation in the 2022 municipal election, and 15,773 Aurorans cast their ballots out of 50,578 eligible voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining the Mayor-elect at the table for the 2026-2030 Council term will be two incumbents and four new faces, with all of the newcomers women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Ward 1, Lauren Hanna was elected with 1,899 votes, with challenger Rocco Morsillo earning 1,211 votes. It was the first election for both Ward 1 candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ward 2 voters elected first-time candidate Angela Daust with 959 votes. She was followed in the poll by Marco Di Girolamo, who earned 733 votes in his second campaign to represent the Ward, past mayoral candidate Phiona Durrant with 556, and Brynn Lansdown with 284.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ward 3 voters selected newcomer Nikki Alber with 1,632 votes. She was followed by Alexandra Bonham with 576, Robert James Fraser with 531, and Harold MacDonald with 609, all of whom previously contested the Ward in 2022. The Ward 3 ballot was rounded out by Reza Vaez Ghamsary who received 42 votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two candidates stood for election in Ward 4, with incumbent Michael Thompson securing a fifth Council term with 1,370 votes, while first-time candidate Shaheen Moledina received 398.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ward 5 brought out the largest field of candidates, with first-time candidate Jessie Fraser being elected with 1,065 votes. Milton Hart placed second with 574 votes, followed by Terrence Zhu with 432, Charity Dela Cruz-Toupin with 376, George Tremtsidis with 288, and Harbinder (Binda) Thandi with 97.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incumbent Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim easily secured a fourth consecutive Council term with 1,154 votes, followed by Zivka Kicic with 519, Nicholas Kashef with 110, and Jibraan Khan with 519.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the education front, Emma Sears was elected York Region District School Board Trustee for Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville, Brandan James Cescolini was elected York Catholic District School Board Trustee for Aurora, King, and Whitchurch-Stouffville, and Christella Basosila Lome was elected to represent Conseil scolaire catholic MonAvenir. Hanane Jaouich-Diakite was acclaimed to the role of Conseil scolaire Viamonde trustee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a new Council, we\u2019ve got new faces and we have some old faces coming back, and I\u2019m excited about what\u2019s going to happen for this Town,\u201d said Mrakas in his election night remarks. \u201cI\u2019m going to continue with positive momentum, continue to do the things that have brought us to the place that we are, the fact that we are one of the top places to live and work and raise a family in Ontario. My commitment to all of you is the same as it has been since Day One, that I\u2019m going to continue to get things done for our community because that\u2019s what we deserve. What we deserve is results, not inaction, and we\u2019re going to continue to get results for our community. It\u2019s been a rollercoaster ride, but I\u2019m glad we\u2019ve gotten to this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be an exciting four years. I\u2019m proud of everyone in this room for the support and the love that you have given me and my family. I say it every time I go see a business, and I know there’s a few business owners in here, and they know exactly what I say\u2026every time they come and they open up a place here in the Town of Aurora: \u2018We’re a family. We’re all one big happy family,\u2019 and that’s the way we should all be in the Town of Aurora, and that’s the way we’re going to continue to be for the next four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GALLO, SHI THANK SUPPORTERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the numbers rolled in on Monday night, John Gallo conceded to Mrakas releasing a statement noting that while it is \u201cnot the result we had hoped for, I am proud of the campaign we ran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe ran a principled campaign focused on restoring democracy at Town Hall, strengthening accountability and ensuring residents have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their community,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to thank every Aurora resident who took the time to vote, speak with us, attend an event, ask a question or share a concern. I am grateful for every conversation and every opportunity to hear directly from people across our community. I also want to thank our volunteers. You gave your time, energy and heart to this campaign, and I will always be grateful. And to my family, thank you for standing beside me throughout this journey. Your support means more than I can say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPublic service has always been about more than one election, and tonight does not change that. This is not the end of my political journey. That said, tonight is about respecting the decision of Aurora voters, congratulating those who have been elected, and thanking everyone who took part in our local democracy. Aurora will always be my home, and I will continue to look for ways to serve the community I care so deeply about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yafang Shi also thanked her supporters and her family for believing in her vision and priorities for the Aurora community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am grateful for the opportunity to hear the concerns, ideas, and suggestions of residents across Aurora as I canvassed the Town, particularly those from marginalized communities whose voices deserve to be heard and valued. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported my candidacy and voted for my platform centred on human rights,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy campaign was driven by a commitment to advancing a Human Rights Action Plan, strengthening local democracy, and promoting greater transparency and accountability in municipal governance. Although the campaign has come to an end, my commitment to these causes remains unwavering. I will continue to advocate for human rights, equity, inclusion, and social justice through my art and ongoing advocacy. Congratulations to the newly elected Council on earning the mandate to serve Aurora residents over the next four years. It is noteworthy that all newly elected members are women, resulting in a Council with a majority of women. I hope this milestone in representation will be accompanied by meaningful progress in municipal governance. I also hope that those who campaigned on equity, inclusion, accountability, and transparency will translate these commitments into concrete actions that benefit all Aurora residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MRAKAS LOOKS TO FUTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to The Auroran after addressing his supporters, Mayor-elect Mrakas said he was \u201chonoured and humbled\u201d with the trust community members placed in him and said the incoming Council will \u201cbring certain expertise and talents to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to have a good four years working together to get things done for our community, so I am looking very forward to it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe always have our orientation and we\u2019ll sit down, start to get to know each other a little better, and really start to gel and be able to work together. The first thing to come up is our budget, so I\u2019m looking forward to sitting down with Council and working through [that] and coming up with a budget that continues to be one of the lowest in the GTHA when it comes to the tax rate, and I\u2019m looking forward to working with each member of Council to make sure that we deliver that to the residents of this community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m actually very, very excited and very thrilled at this opportunity to lead a new Council and continue on the momentum that we’ve built over the last eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor-elect lauds community for \u201ckicking negativity to the curb\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":39198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-headline_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-acd","publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-10-29-03.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39199,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39197\/revisions\/39199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}