CORNWALL, Ontario – What could have been a clash of two polar opposites on the mayoral ticket in Cornwall fizzled Thursday night.
With Leslie O’Shaughnessy on the sidelines with an illness, incumbent Bob Kilger and Jamie Gilcig were the only two who took part in a mayoral debate concerning health, wellness and poverty in Cornwall.
But there was little drama to be had, as both candidates for the city’s top elected office answered questions without the open warfare some in the small crowd expected from the rivals before things got started.
To be sure, there were some modest fireworks. Gilcig at one point took a shot at the mayor, who had just finished answering a question concerning the so-called “liveability” of Cornwall.
“Every economic decision we make must have a social benefit,” Kilger said as part of a lengthy answer to the question.
Gilcig, when given the chance to answer the question, opened with: “I’m stunned. I need to compose myself for a second. That was amazing Bob.”
Kilger growled: “Don’t patronize me.”
Beyond that both candidates were civil to one another and answered a flurry of questions prepared in advance, as well as some posed from the small gathering who attended the event sponsored by The Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area and hosted at the Seaway Valley Community Health Centre on Pitt Street.
One of the most polarizing questions posed to candidates was that of fluoride in the city’s drinking water. The city has suspended fluoridation as council decides on upgrades to the water treatment plant.
Kilger is in favour of maintaining the practice.
“I rely heavily and trust explicitly the person we entrust, the medical officer of health…and so I continue to support fluoridation,” he said, alluding to Dr. Paul Roumeliotis who has lobbied heavily for fluoride use.
Gilcig is of a different view, but tried to circumvent that discussion by focusing on an answer the mayor had given previously on the chemical tank controversy on the Cornwall waterfront.
Gilcig was overruled by moderator Hugo Rodrigues and offered nothing further on the subject.
He did, however, try to score some points later with young people in the audience who had asked a question about improving the lives of teenagers in Cornwall.
“It’s hard to be a teenager in Cornwall unless you live on the internet – and it’s hard to get exercise if you’re stuck to a computer all day,” he said.
The mayoral candidates will lock horns again next week when the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce host the final debate of the 2014 municipal campaign.