John Laforet sat and watched, his eyes showing clear disappointment, as incumbent Paul Ainslie took the victory in Ward 43.

“We gave it all we had,” said Laforet. “I can be proud of the fact that it was a community building exercise, it was a campaign run by residents on ideas that residents cared about, and I was happy to be their candidate.”

John Laforet received just over 4,000 votes, but it was not enough to topple Ainslie, who won with more than 8,500 votes.

Laforet made a name for himself as president of Wind Concerns Ontario, an organization that advocates against the construction of wind turbines close to residential areas.

“The wind turbines issue has played a huge role for me in that it’s been a lot of visibility,” said Laforet. “It’s also built my team and funded my campaign.”

Laforet thanked the residents of Guildwood for their extreme generosity, saying that he could have never of made a run for city council without their support.