Rod Finnie is the past mayor of Erin, Ontario

Erin, Ontario

Erin is a town in Wellington County, approximately 80 kilometres northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Erin is an amalgamated town, composed of the former Villages of Erin and Hillsburgh, and the hamlets of Ballinafad, Brisbane, Cedar Valley, Crewson's Corners, and Orton, as well as the former...

. He was first elected to the council of Erin in 1997, was chosen as the town’s deputy mayor later in the same year. He was elected as mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Erin in 2000, and was re-elected without opposition in 2003. Finnie was also elected to the council of Wellington County

Wellington County, Ontario

Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...

 in 1997-98, and was returned in 2000, and has chaired the county’s administration, finance and personnel committee. In private life, he has operated a land surveying company since 1985.

In 2001, Finnie called for a five per cent levy on large bottled-water companies accessing local water supplies. He opposed an anti-smoking by-law in 2003, and voted against a municipal tax increase in early 2004. Finnie opposed a greenbelt plan proposed by the provincial government of Dalton McGuinty

Dalton McGuinty

Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....

 in late 2004, arguing that half of his community would be classified as “protected” from development under the proposed legislation.

Finnie ran for the Liberal Party of Canada

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 in the 2006 federal election

Canadian federal election, 2006

The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...

 in the riding of Wellington—Halton Hills

Wellington—Halton Hills

Wellington—Halton Hills is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.The Member of Parliament for Wellington-Halton Hills is Mike Chong of the Conservative Party of Canada....

. He received 16,065 votes (29.17%) in the election, finishing second against Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

 incumbent Michael Chong

Michael Chong

Michael David Chong, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented the riding of Wellington—Halton Hills in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Sport, as well as the...

. Finnie expressed his personal respect for Chong after the results were declared.

Finnie was defeated in the 2010 municipal election

Wellington County municipal elections, 2010

Elections will be held in Wellington County, Ontario on October 25, 2010 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.-Wellington County Council:-Centre Wellington:-Erin:-Guelph/Eramosa:-Mapleton:-Minto:-Puslinch:...

by Lou Maieron.