CORNWALL, Ontario – Greg Kielec was on the fence for months, back and forth on a decision to run for city council.
But when the former Cornwall journalist found out just weeks ago that his father, a well-known political junkie, is battling a terminal form of brain cancer, he made up his mind to enter the race.
The decision is steeped in Bill Kielec’s love affair with politics – be it local, national, or international.
Greg thought he had made his final decision last month, when a workplace injury forced his hand and left with him little choice but to forgo an election campaign.
Then his father was diagnosed with cancer.
“I basically decided I wasn’t going to run…I didn’t know if I would be well enough,” he said. “But he was really encouraging me to run.
“And sometimes you have to listen to your dad.”
Greg is a realist, though. He admits his campaign has a miniscule budget, and his experience as a politician can be measured in the time that has elapsed since he filed his paperwork at city hall.
He’s also quick to point out this isn’t a case of exploiting an illness to curry favour with voters. In fact, Seaway News reached out to him for this story, not the other way around.
“I’m obviously running for the City of Cornwall, but it’s also because of my dad.” he said.
Bill is well-known in local circles. He has penned letters to the editor on local issues, and has never shied away from a political debate, whether it’s in public or around the dinner table.
He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer at the end of August after complaining for weeks of what he thought were the effects of a concussion.
Doctors operated on the tumour and removed 90 per cent of it. But a subsequent diagnosis now suggests the cancer will remain, and is inoperable.
“My dad is a fighter and if he continues battling hard I also have faith he can beat this.,” said Greg. “But in the medical world there’s no cure for this kind of cancer.”
In the meantime Greg said he plans to focus on his campaign, putting aside 25 years as a journalist at a variety of media outlets in and around Cornwall and instead focus on politics.
“This is a really big step for me. I used to prefer to be in the shadows, as an observer,” he said. “But this (the diagnosis) was the kick in the butt I needed to make the decision.”
