Josh Morgan (politician)
Josh Morgan | |
|---|---|
| 65th Mayor of London | |
| Assumed office November 15, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Holder |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joshua Douglas Morgan March 23, 1978[citation needed] |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Independent |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence(s) | London, Ontario, Canada |
| Profession | Politician |
Joshua Douglas Morgan is a Canadian politician who has been serving as the 65th mayor of London since 2022. He was elected mayor in the 2022 London municipal election.[1]
Early life
[edit]Joshua Douglas Morgan was born on March 23, 1978,[citation needed] in rural Ontario near a small town named Camlachie.
He moved to London in 1998 to study economics and political science at the University of Western Ontario, receiving a combined honours BA in 2002. In 2004, he received an MA in political science (local government; Canadian government) from Western.
It was at Western University where Morgan met his future wife Melanie. They were married in 2007 in London, Ontario, and have four children together.[2]
In a joint statement, issued in May 2024, the couple announced they had amicably separated the previous summer.[3]
City council
[edit]Morgan’s first campaign for a seat on London City Council came in 2006.[4] He lost to Ward 8 incumbent Paul Hubert by just 23 votes.[2]
Morgan did not run in the 2010 municipal election, but did put his name on the ballot in 2014 seeking to represent Ward 7. This time, he was successful and won the seat by taking 56.56 per cent of the vote. During this term of council, Morgan was the mayor's appointed adviser on the 2016-2019 multi-year budget, London’s first multi-year budget.[5]
Morgan was re-elected in 2018 as the Ward 7 city councillor by an even wider margin, winning 75.2 per cent of the vote.
During this term of council, Morgan was appointed budget chair, a role he occupied until 2021.[6] He was also appointed deputy mayor by Mayor Ed Holder in 2020.[7]
Mayoral campaign
[edit]Morgan filed his nomination papers to run for mayor of London on May 26, 2022, two days after Holder announced he would not seek re-election.[8]
His platform[9] focused on five key pillars: housing and affordability; mental health and addictions; inclusive and safe, vibrant neighbourhoods; climate change and economic prosperity.[10]
During the campaign, Morgan received a number of high-profile endorsements including those from Holder, London North Centre Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos, London-Fanshawe New Democrat MP Lindsay Mathyssen, Elgin-Middlesex-London Conservative MP Karen Vecchio, and the London and District Labour Council.[11]
Morgan was elected mayor on October 24, 2022, after having captured 65.72 per cent of the vote. Former Liberal MPP Khalil Ramal finished second with 22.59 per cent.[1]
Mayoralty
[edit]Morgan was sworn in as London’s 65th mayor on November 15, 2022.[12] During the inaugural meeting of the 2022-26 city council, Morgan nominated Ward 2 councillor Shawn Lewis to serve as deputy mayor, and Ward 12 councillor Elizabeth Peloza to serve as budget chair. Both appointments were for four years, and both appointments were approved unanimously by council.[13]
Morgan delivered his first State of the City address[14] on January 17, 2023, before a crowd of approximately 1,300 people at RBC Place London.[15] During his remarks, Morgan announced that an anonymous family had donated $25-million to support a new health and homelessness system in London.[16] Morgan provided an update on the health and homelessness system during his second Sate of the City address[17] on January 25, 2024.
Whole of Community Response
[edit]The Whole of Community Response to Health and Homelessness in London is a unique plan developed by Morgan alongside 200 individual leaders from all backgrounds, representing more that 70 local organizations.[18] Since its inception, the program has received national and worldwide recognition as being one of the most auspicious plans to address health and homelessness.[19]
Electoral record
[edit]2022 London Mayoral Election
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Josh MORGAN | 46,283 | 65.72% |
| Khalil RAMAL | 15,912 | 22.59% |
| Sandie THOMAS | 2,297 | 3.26% |
| Sean O'CONNELL | 1,432 | 2.03% |
| Johanne NICHOLS | 1,339 | 1.90% |
| Daniel JEFFERY | 810 | 1.15% |
| Brandon ELLIS | 747 | 1.06% |
| Dan LENART | 743 | 1.05% |
| Norman Robert MILES | 536 | 0.76% |
| Carlos MURRAY | 329 | 0.47% |
2018 Municipal Election, Ward 7 City Council
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Josh MORGAN | 6,117 | 75.2% |
| Joe KOLENKO | 2,020 | 24.8% |
2014 Municipal Election, Ward 7 City Council
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Josh MORGAN | 5,444 | 56.56% |
| Donna SZPAKOWSKI | 1,390 | 14.44% |
| Michael ESPOSITO | 1,243 | 12.91% |
| Matthew KENNEDY | 821 | 8.53% |
| Osam ALI | 777 | 7.55% |
2006 Municipal Election, Ward 8 City Council
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Paul HUBERT | 2,392 | 28.6% |
| Josh MORGAN | 2,369 | 28.3% |
| Connie L. GRAHAM | 1,855 | 22.1% |
| Monica JARABEK | 1,762 | 21.0% |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Matthew Trevithick, "Josh Morgan elected 65th mayor of London, Ont. with 65 per cent of vote". Global News, October 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Megan Stacey (October 12, 2022). "CIVIC ELECTION: What fuels Josh Morgan's drive to be mayor?". London Free Press.
- ^ "Josh Morgan announces separation from his wife". 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Mayor Josh Morgan's first (unsuccessful) city council run". London Free Press, October 29, 2022.
- ^ Miranda Chant (November 23, 2015). "Morgan Named Special Budget Advisor". Blackburn News.
- ^ Megan Stacey, "Mayor touts Peloza as London council's new budget chair". London Free Press, March 31, 2021.
- ^ Megan Stacey (October 20, 2020). "Josh Morgan named deputy mayor, but not without gender-based pushback". London Free Press.
- ^ Craig Needles (May 26, 2022). "Moving on up? Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan seeking top job at City Hall". Blackburn News.
- ^ Andrew Graham. "Mayoral candidate Josh Morgan pledges 50,000 new homes for London, Ont". 980 CFPL. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ Andrew Graham (September 14, 2022). "Josh Morgan". Global News.
- ^ Jennifer Bieman (September 26, 2022). "London MPs, across party lines, agree on one thing: Who should be mayor". London Free Press.
- ^ Isha Bhargava (November 16, 2022). "'Our differences are our strengths': London's new mayor and city council sworn in". CBC London.
- ^ "London's new Deputy Mayor is…". London. 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
- ^ "Full Text of 2023 State of the City Address".
- ^ "$25M donation to new London, Ont. homeless plan announced at 2023 state of city address".
- ^ "'Incredible': Agencies buoyed by $25M gift to fight homelessness".
- ^ "Building on parking lots, office building conversions, and a gift from local developers: Highlights from the State of the City Address". London. 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Whole of Community System Response to Health and Homelessness in London | City of London". london.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Bhargava, Isha (August 23, 2023). "Ontario cities watching as London rolls out first-of-its-kind homeless response". CBC.