Marianne Matichuk
Encyclopedia
Marianne Matichuk is a Canadian
politician, who was elected mayor of Greater Sudbury, Ontario
in the 2010 municipal election
.
She is the city's first elected female mayor, although Grace Hartman was previously appointed mayor following the death of Max Silverman
in 1966.
's record; by the time Oraclepoll Research
released its poll of voter intentions in the mayoral campaign on October 12, Matichuk was in second place with 31.5 per cent support, behind Rodriguez but ahead of longtime city councillor Ted Callaghan.
She made few concrete campaign promises of her own; those she did make included doing a line item review of the city's budget and permitting retail stores in the city to open on Boxing Day
.
The mayoral candidacy of David Popescu, a perennial candidate
in the Sudbury area who was convicted of hate speech
after advocating the execution of homosexuals in the 2008 federal election
campaign, also emerged as a minor issue when he was permitted to participate in a mayoral debate sponsored by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. Matichuk publicly criticized the Chamber of Commerce for not excluding Popescu from the debate, while opposing candidate Derek Young called Matichuk's move a populist
ploy that would both undermine the democratic process and distract from other issues in the debate, and the Chamber of Commerce reiterated that its standing policy when sponsoring political debates was to invite all registered candidates regardless of their personal views. Popescu had already participated in other mayoral debates during the 2010 election campaign without incident, and none of the candidates for mayor, including Matichuk, opted to boycott the Chamber of Commerce debate over Popescu's inclusion.
On October 22, the final Friday before election day, Matichuk secured the endorsement of the Sudbury Star
. The paper noted her lack of political experience and the highly negative tone of her campaign — in an earlier editorial, in fact, the paper had named her alongside Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford
as an example of an apparent Tea Party
mentality entering into Ontario's municipal elections — but argued that in public debates and other dealings with the city's media, she had shown herself to be a substantial and practical voice. Rodriguez also tried to portray Matichuk as a Tea Party sort of candidate, accusing her in one debate of basing her campaign on "Sarah Palin
mathematics" and ultimately attributing his defeat to a "negative, American-style campaign".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician, who was elected mayor of Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in the 2010 municipal election
Greater Sudbury municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Greater Sudbury municipal election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor and 12 city councillors in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du...
.
She is the city's first elected female mayor, although Grace Hartman was previously appointed mayor following the death of Max Silverman
Max Silverman
Max Silverman was a Canadian ice hockey manager and politician. As president and general manager of the Sudbury Wolves, he led the team to victory in the 1932 Memorial Cup, the 1935 Richardson Cup and the 1938 World Ice Hockey Championships...
in 1966.
Campaign
An occupational health and safety consultant, first with the city and later with Vale's operations in the Sudbury area, Matichuk was virtually unknown before launching her mayoral campaign in September 2010. However, she quickly gained attention with a focused campaign in which she issued a series of daily press releases attacking aspects of incumbent mayor John RodriguezJohn Rodriguez
John R. Rodriguez is a Canadian politician. He served as the mayor of Greater Sudbury, Ontario from 2006 to 2010, and previously represented the electoral district of Nickel Belt in the Canadian House of Commons from 1972 to 1980 and from 1984 to 1993 as a member of the New Democratic...
's record; by the time Oraclepoll Research
Oraclepoll Research
Oraclepoll Research is a Canadian based polling and market research company. The company, which maintains offices in Toronto, Montreal and Sudbury, is a full service market research and public opinion company that conducts telephone research, online surveys, focus groups as well as face to face and...
released its poll of voter intentions in the mayoral campaign on October 12, Matichuk was in second place with 31.5 per cent support, behind Rodriguez but ahead of longtime city councillor Ted Callaghan.
She made few concrete campaign promises of her own; those she did make included doing a line item review of the city's budget and permitting retail stores in the city to open on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
.
The mayoral candidacy of David Popescu, a perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
in the Sudbury area who was convicted of hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
after advocating the execution of homosexuals in the 2008 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
campaign, also emerged as a minor issue when he was permitted to participate in a mayoral debate sponsored by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. Matichuk publicly criticized the Chamber of Commerce for not excluding Popescu from the debate, while opposing candidate Derek Young called Matichuk's move a populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
ploy that would both undermine the democratic process and distract from other issues in the debate, and the Chamber of Commerce reiterated that its standing policy when sponsoring political debates was to invite all registered candidates regardless of their personal views. Popescu had already participated in other mayoral debates during the 2010 election campaign without incident, and none of the candidates for mayor, including Matichuk, opted to boycott the Chamber of Commerce debate over Popescu's inclusion.
On October 22, the final Friday before election day, Matichuk secured the endorsement of the Sudbury Star
Sudbury Star
The Sudbury Star is a Canadian daily regional newspaper, published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is run by the media conglomerate Sun Media, which is controlled by Quebecor....
. The paper noted her lack of political experience and the highly negative tone of her campaign — in an earlier editorial, in fact, the paper had named her alongside Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford
Rob Ford
Robert Bruce "Rob" Ford is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006...
as an example of an apparent Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
mentality entering into Ontario's municipal elections — but argued that in public debates and other dealings with the city's media, she had shown herself to be a substantial and practical voice. Rodriguez also tried to portray Matichuk as a Tea Party sort of candidate, accusing her in one debate of basing her campaign on "Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
mathematics" and ultimately attributing his defeat to a "negative, American-style campaign".