Walsh’s decision leaves three, maybe four council seats available

I haven’t talked to anyone who wasn’t surprised at Denis Walsh’s decision not to run for another term. In hindsight, maybe the signs were there.

When I talked to him several weeks ago about the possibility of him running for mayor, he was pretty clear that it wasn’t in the cards. But, beyond that, he was candid about the challenges facing his movie-rental business and the movie-rental business in general. While he wrote a letter to the editor recently saying independent video stories remain strong, clearly the future has been on his mind.

Still, everyone expected him to run again as a councillor and to be a sure thing. I think Denis would like to have stayed on City council, and when your heart says you should stay but your head tells you to go, it’s the toughest kind of decision. I’ve been there.

For the newbies hoping to crack the top eight come the November election, however, it’s great news. With no Denis, there will be only five incumbents on the ballot, meaning a better chance for newcomers or recycled candidates.

That means Nelly Dever, Arjun Singh and Peter Sharp all have an even shot at getting onto council. In the case of Singh and Sharp, who have previously served and been defeated, it could be comeback time. I’m also hearing more talk about Donovan Cavers based largely on the fact he has some name recognition from running in previous elections for the Greens.

There might even be room for all four of them because the five incumbents aren’t necessarily shoe-ins. Given the parkade controversy, some possible backlash over water meters, and other issues such as their avoidance of a position on Ajax mine, we might see the biggest turnover in City council since 1999.

UPDATE: While assembling my thoughts yesterday for today’s post, I didn’t contemplate the announcement by Ken Christian that he will run for council. His candidacy effectively returns the situation to the status quo of three seats being available, as he is likely to poll near the top. I really should have known better, as I revealed just after Labor Day that Ken would be running for council.