Hard work marks victory and defeat in Scarborough Centre

Scarborough Centre PC candidate Carol Williams holds a volunteer in a long comforting embrace following Thursday’s loss to Liberal Brad Duguid.

The campaign manager for the runner-up in Scarborough Centre, expected that their hard work would pay off in Thursday’s provincial vote.

The Progressive Conservative Party fielded a new candidate, Carol Williams, hoping to unseat incumbent Liberal Brad Duguid. However, Duguid took 53.6 per cent of the vote, to Williams’ 24.2 per cent. Jordan Katz was Williams’ campaign manager in the riding.

“We’ve been going 16 hours a day since mid-August. No days off for anyone – every door we can get to; every voter we can talk to; every sign that needs to be pounded in,” Katz said. “We’re doing everything we can to reach out to everyone to make sure that the people of Scarborough Centre have the representation that they deserve.”

Volunteers, including some Grade 9 students, had gathered for the results at the campaign offices at 645 McCowan Rd. The results were not pleasing for the Williams team. But it was Williams who comforted her volunteers.

“This was a joyful campaign. One with lots of humour, lots of laughter,” she said. “We have nothing to be upset about or cry about. We ran a great campaign. We were a united front. We’ll do it again next time.”

She told her supporters that she was puzzled by the results, but respected what democracy had yielded. But she had a promise.

“One way or another I’ll be working with Ontario families in the future,” she said.

The atmosphere in the Duguid camp, at the at Café La Roche, was very different. Liberal volunteers enjoyed the evening of results going in their favour. However, one Duguid supporter, Sherry Bedford, also expressed the stress of the campaign.

“This has been a tough one. The media has been out there, pushing that this is gonna be a tight run so we’ve had to work extra hard,” Bedford said.

About this article

By: Dileen Simms
Posted: Oct 7 2011 2:30 am
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Filed under: News Ontario Votes 2011
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