If you have been thinking about putting your name forward for the 2026 municipal election, today is the day. The deadline to file a nomination for St. Thomas mayor, council, or a school board trustee seat is 2 p.m. today, Friday, August 21.
The City Clerk’s official candidate list, last posted Thursday at 11:48 a.m., shows two people running for mayor: Aidan Frederick and Jeff Kohler. Mayor Joe Preston announced back in February he will not seek re-election after two terms, so the seat is open. Eighteen people are running for the eight council seats: Lori Baldwin-Sands, Mike Brisson, Gary Clarke, Chris Deslandes, Alobwedge Gibbs Diobe, Joe Docherty Jr., Rose Gibson, Jim Herbert, Heather Jackson, Malichi Male, Geoff Mountenay, Steve Ogden, Joan Rymal, Christopher Staddon, Earl Taylor, Kay Vaughan, Steve Wookey and Kyle Yates. All eight of the city’s current councillors are on the list. Seven filed for council again, and Jeff Kohler filed for mayor.
There are also two school board races touching St. Thomas. For the Thames Valley District School Board’s two Elgin County trustee seats, Bob Pate and Melissa Knott are running, with no other names on the list yet, so unless another nomination comes in before 2 p.m., that race won’t need a vote at all. The London District Catholic School Board’s one Elgin County seat is a real contest: Stephen Huver and Mary Intven Wallace are both running for the single spot. The City updates the list as nominations come in, so more names can be added before 2 p.m., and treat today’s counts as a snapshot, not a final tally.
Filing isn’t as simple as showing up with a name. Mayor candidates pay a $200 filing fee. Council and school board trustee candidates pay $100. Mayor and council candidates also need a signed Endorsement of Nomination with 25 qualified electors behind them; trustee candidates don’t. Nomination papers have to be filed in person. Anyone running for mayor or council has to be eligible to vote in St. Thomas; trustee candidates have to live within their school board’s area and be eligible to vote in a school board election.
Voting day is Monday, October 26. St. Thomas votes by internet and telephone again this year, the same as recent elections, with no paper ballot: voting runs from 10 a.m. on October 13 through 8 p.m. on October 26. If you don’t have easy access to a computer or phone, the City is setting up tablet kiosks at limited times and locations to help. One thing to know if you’ve moved recently or turned 18 since the last election: voter registration is paused right now while the Voter’s List transfers from the province to the City, and it reopens September 1.
Curious who’s running before you decide how to vote? LocVox’s own Know Your Candidates page gives every registered candidate equal, free space to share a photo, a short bio, why they’re running, and their top priorities, in their own words where they’ve submitted one, updated as the City’s list changes. It’s not affiliated with the City or Elections Ontario. Candidates are free to contact LocVox and request an update to their profile at any time.
The City Clerk’s list will keep changing until the 2 p.m. deadline today. After that, (barring any dropouts) the next date to watch is October 13, when voting opens.
Sources: City of St. Thomas, 2026 Municipal Election Hub, City Clerk, official List of Candidates (PDF, posted Aug 20, 2026, 11:48 a.m., updated through the nomination period)
By Anthony Zruna · About the LocVox Newsroom
Update - August 22, 2026, 7:02 a.m. ET: Nominations have closed and the City Clerk has certified the final list. Three candidates are running for mayor, with Corey Janzen added after this article was published, and 19 for council, with Sandra Hamill added. Melissa Knott and Bob Pate were acclaimed to the two Thames Valley District School Board trustee seats for Elgin County, so that race will not appear on the ballot.
