45 years: Milton voters end Krantz mayoral tenure with Minakakis win

Milton residents voted to break a 45-year mayoral hold on Oct. 26, electing George Minakakis as the town’s new leader. The result ends the tenure of Gord Krantz, who has served as mayor since 1980. Unofficial results show Minakakis received 20,262 votes, capturing 45.20 percent of the total ballots cast. Krantz, the incumbent, finished second with 11,398 votes, or 25.43 percent.

Voter participation in the 2026 municipal election rose sharply compared to the previous cycle. A total of 44,995 eligible voters cast ballots, representing a 40.71 percent turnout. This is a substantial increase from the 23,298 voters, or 28.99 percent, who participated in the last election. Advance voting also saw a jump, with 15,538 people casting early ballots over four days, more than double the 6,897 advance votes recorded in 2022.

Minakakis, who won a Ward 1 byelection in late 2025 to join council, campaigned on his corporate background and a focus on local economic growth. He described the win as a transition into a new era of growth. “I have a vision for what we can do, how far we can take it,” Minakakis said. “I believe that Gord Krantz has done an incredible job over 61 years of overseeing the town. You can never take anything away. Now, it’s big shoes to fill and then take it to the next step.”

Krantz, first elected to council in 1965 and sworn in as mayor on Dec. 1, 1980, held the record for Ontario’s longest-serving mayor. His time in office exceeded that of Mississauga’s Hazel McCallion, who served for 36 years. In a statement to the crowd, Krantz acknowledged the shift in leadership. “I got caught up in a bit of a trend,” Krantz said. “Instead of me retiring on my own, the citizens decided it was time for me to retire. Maybe they were right there.”

Zainab Azim, a political newcomer, finished third with 6,203 votes, or 13.84 percent of the total. She attributed her result to the work of approximately 300 campaign volunteers. “I do think a bit of fear won today, but hope,” Azim said. “A lot of people who believe that Milton is a place where we can all afford to live here together and work here and learn here and play here and dream here.”

Minakakis outlined immediate priorities for his administration, including keeping Milton’s status as a town rather than changing it to a city. He also announced plans to return the town’s Canada Day celebration, including fireworks, to foster community unity. “We’re going to bring Canada Day back,” Minakakis said. “The town’s going to own it. We’re going to find a way to do fireworks, and we’re going to make sure that we’re to be united as a community.”

The newly elected council will hold its inaugural meeting on Nov. 16. Other seats for the 2026-30 term have been filled by a mix of incumbents and newcomers. In Ward 1, newcomer Owen Gray won the town councillor seat with 5,896 votes, while incumbent Colin Best was re-elected as regional councillor. In Ward 2, Patrick Murphy won the town seat with 4,941 votes, and John Challinor moved to the regional seat. Ward 3 saw incumbent Adil Khalqi retain the town seat and Rick Di Lorenzo win the regional seat. In Ward 4, Giles Vanderholt took the town seat, and Sarah Marshall won the regional seat. The town clerk will declare these results official in the coming days.