Darrin Canniff (born c. 1966) is a Canadian politician who has served as current the mayor of Chatham-Kent since 2018.
Darrin Canniff | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Chatham-Kent | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Randy Hope |
| Chatham-Kent Municipal Councillor for Ward 6 | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – December 1, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Marjorie Crew Anne Gilbert |
| Succeeded by | Marjorie Crew Amy Finn Karen Kirkwood-Whyte |
| Constituency | Ward 6 (Chatham) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1966 (age 57–58)[1][2] Chatham, Ontario, Canada[3] |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Christine Johns[3] |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Wilfrid Laurier University (BBA) |
| Profession |
|
| Website | Office of the Mayor |
Canniff was born and raised in Chatham, Ontario. He attended elementary school at Winston Churchill School[4] and high school at John McGregor Secondary School,[5] and was educated at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and received a Chartered Accountant (CA) designation.[3] He received his CA while working for accounting firm KPMG.[6]
Career
editEarly career
editPrior to entering politics, Canniff worked for Union Gas,[7] where he was the director of planning and forecasting.[6] He has also worked for Transform SSO and Greenfield Specialty Alcohols. He also led a number of charitable campaigns, such as such as the Festival of Giving and the 2006 United Way of Chatham-Kent campaign.[3] He also served as a board chair at Mainstreet Credit Union, and was a board director for the Children's Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent, past chair of the Prosperity Roundtable and past chair of Entegrus Inc.[1]
Politics
editCanniff first entered politics in the 2014 municipal elections, when he was elected to Chatham-Kent Municipal Council as one of six councillors for Ward 6 (Chatham).[8] During his first term he served as co-chair of the 2018 International Plowing Match which was held in Pain Court.[9]
Canniff was first elected as mayor in the 2018 municipal elections, defeating Alysson Storey and incumbent mayor Randy Hope,[10] winning more than 56% of the vote.[11] Canniff ran on a platform prioritizing "quality jobs" and "infrastructure".[1] Hope had been seeking a fourth term as mayor, despite having promised to only serve for three terms. He had also been criticized for making business trips abroad.[2]
After being elected as mayor, Canniff stated his priorities for 2019 could be summed in the statement "bringing community together", with one of his initiatives being 'Get Involved CK Campaign' to support volunteerism. He also planned on investing in local service clubs, which would result in a small tax increase.[12] In his first year as mayor, he had to deal with an ice jam in the Thames River which caused flooding[13] and the opening of a new casino in Chatham.[14] Canniff's top priorities in 2020 have been dealing with shoreline erosion, high speed internet and the reopening Talbot Trail.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Canniff taking mayoral run". Chatham This Week. May 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "Canniff moves from council to top job in Chatham-Kent race". Windsor Star. October 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Darrin Canniff is running for Mayor of Chatham-Kent". Sydenham Current. May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Recess more fun helping handicapped". Windsor Star. May 12, 1978.
- ^ "Council Candidate Darrin Canniff Talks Chatham-Kent Sports". Chatham-Kent Sports Network. August 23, 2014.
- ^ a b "2018 CK Election: Candidate Profiles". CKXS. October 16, 2018.
- ^ "'Change is needed': a mayoral race of 3 candidates in Chatham-Kent". CBC News. October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Chatham-Kent's new council is sworn in". Chatham This Week. December 1, 2014.
- ^ "IPM shaping up to be a 'great event'". Windsor Star. September 6, 2018.
- ^ "Darrin Canniff wins mayor's seat in Chatham-Kent". CTV Windsor. October 24, 2018.
- ^ "Canniff elected mayor of C-K". The Chatham Voice. October 22, 2018.
- ^ "New mayor sees bright future for Chatham-Kent". Windsor Star. January 3, 2019.
- ^ "Ice jams on Thames pose flood threat to Chatham". Windsor Star. February 8, 2019.
- ^ "New casino expected to open for Canada Day". Windsor Star. February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Chatham-Kent mayor feels positive about issues facing municipality after AMO conference". iHeartRadio. August 20, 2020.