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Former city councillor withdraws from election race

Lise Burcher decides to continue her political engagement from outside the council horseshoe
2018 05 05 GT – 10C Epic Launch – TB 26
Lise Burcher, centre, seen at an event at 10C community space earlier this year, has withdrawn from running in the upcoming election. GuelphToday file photo

Former longtime city councillor Lise Burcher has decided to withdraw from running for a council seat in Ward 6.

Burcher, who served on council for 11 years, the last time in 2011, said she has decided she can better continue her community advocacy and engagement more effectively from outside city council.

"I am pulling out of the race," Burcher said Tuesday morning.

"The real issue for me is that my background is very much in community organizing, advocacy and helping people engage more effectively, that's where my true calling is," Burcher said.

A longtime champion of planning, heritage, social and environment issues, most recently she was involved in organizing and advocating around the city's the Clair/Maltby growth plans and had to give that up when running for council.

"I just though that I could be more effective outside of the horseshoe I think in terms of my advocacy work and helping bring attention to matters and helping people to organize and have a voice."

Burcher's name will remain on the ballot as the deadline for officially withdrawing has passed. But she said she wants to get the word out that she is not in the running so constituents can make their decision about the other candidates.

Asked if she would be officially backing any of the remaining five candidates, Burcher said she "may stay out of that" but that she would be meeting with each of the Ward 6 candidates to see where they stand on certain issues. She may then decide on who she supports.

Burcher's withdrawal leaves five people running for the two seats in Ward 6: incumbent Mark MacKinnon, Stacy Cooper, Dominique O'Rourke, Usha Arora and Anshu Khurana.

The ward's other current councillor, Karl Wettstein, is not seeking reelection.

Burcher previously represented Ward 5 as a councillor for 11 consecutive years (2003-2014), winning three consecutive elections.

In 2014 she registered to run in the election but withdrew her name prior to the deadline and was not on the ballot on election day.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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