The first woman elected mayor of Gravenhurst, Wanda Miller, was certainly a political trailblazer in Muskoka. An ardent promoter of civic causes, with plenty of good ideas, Wanda’s no-nonsense presence, accompanied by an easy smile, gave her a strong appearance and wide appeal. Her stamina powered constant activity with the United Church Women, the Liberal Party Association, and Gravenhurst Town Council. Politicians who main-street only when elections rolled around were outflanked by Mayor Miller who was in constant circulation amongst the people she represented. Being a successful and well-liked mayor of Muskoka’s senior town led Wanda Miller to contest Muskoka riding in 1955’s provincial election for the Liberals. Her party was not strong. The party’s Ontario leader Farquhar Oliver was weak against astute incumbent Premier Leslie Frost. She lost to Bracebridge newspaper editor Robert Boyer of the PCs. The Tories swept the province, 83 seats to 11. Miller continued to be re-elected mayor.
In the decades since, women in Muskoka pressed ahead contesting and sometimes winning elected offices on school boards and councils of townships, villages, and towns. With formation of two-tier local government, many women won elections as District councillors. Susan Pryke became mayor of Muskoka Lakes Township, as did Alice Murphy, then Karen Ellis, often against other women candidates. Paisley Donaldson won Gravenhurst’s mayoralty twice. Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini, a municipal councillor wanting for years to be mayor of Bracebridge, formalized her intent in 2018 with a spirited, but unsuccessful, bid against a male incumbent.
The strong runs by women for senior elective offices in Muskoka in the last half-decade saw Liberal Trisha Cowie in 2015’s federal election claim 39 percent of the vote (to incumbent MP and Conservative cabinet minister Tony Clement’s 43 percent), while in 2018’s provincial election New Democrat Erin Horvath took 22 percent and Liberal Brenda Rhodes 9 percent (to incumbent PC Norm Miller’s 48.) Other male candidates accounted for the rest.
This year, re-nominated Cowie’s well-run ground campaign and personal determination extended this increasingly stronger female presence in Muskoka politics. It is no longer exceptional for women to run for public office; happily, it has become the norm. Of four candidates seeking the Conservative nomination here, two were women, both with strong and well-supported campaigns.
Yet gender is not the only factor when citizens cast ballots. Despite Trish Cowie’s impressive ground-campaign, her 30 percent of the vote on Monday couldn’t match Scott Aitchison’s 41 percent (both lower than their party’s share in 2015, due to Green and NDP strength.) The former Huntsville mayor’s decades of local experience will serve him well as our new MP and, in the bargain, Huntsville will now have its first-ever woman mayor in Karin Terziano.
