Chris Dabrowski was appointed to council to fill a vacancy triggered by Wayne Thomson’s resignation. Pictured: Councillor Chris Dabrowski. Photo Credit: Revel Realty.
Niagara Falls officially has its newest city councillor, although it’s a familiar face.
Chris Dabrowski was appointed to fill the vacant seat previously occupied by Wayne Thomson, who retired last month after having been involved in local politics since the late 1960s, having served as an alderman, mayor and later councillor.
Dabrowski has been officially appointed to the post but the swearing-in ceremony will take place on Oct. 22. He told reporters that he is “excited to get back to working for the residents of Niagara Falls.”
Dabrowski is a local entrepreneur. He was not elected in a by-election: rather, council chose to appoint the runner-up from the most recent municipal election. This is a standard practice when municipalities don’t want to have to shoulder the cost of triggering a by-election.
After Thomson indicated his plans to retire, council very quickly chose to appoint a new councillor rather than hold a by-election, even though council had 60 days to make the final decision.
Niagara Falls elects its councillors differently than most other local municipalities: city residents vote, and the top eight candidates are declared elected and serve a four-year term.
Dabrowski has served on council before, between 2018 and 2022, but finished ninth in the 2022 municipal election. He will now serve the remainder of Thomson’s term and will be eligible to seek re-election as an incumbent in October 2026, when Ontario’s next round of municipal elections is scheduled.
In 2022, Dabrowski won 5,896 votes, falling just 398 votes behind Thomson, the man he will now succeed, who finished eighth in the contest.
Dabrowski has a long career in business, having worked in public relations for many years. He is also the co-founder and president of Niagara Falls Comic Con, the Niagara Falls’ largest consumer show, and has worked and volunteered with several business improvement areas in Niagara Falls. He also has a career in realty.
Dabrowski has also chaired Niagara Falls’ Canada 150 Committee. When he originally ran for council, Dabrowski outlined key priority areas that included economic prosperity, financial stability, and building a vibrant and well-planned city.
In running for re-election in 2022, Dabrowski also pointed to the importance of issues like homelessness and mental health as priority areas he hoped to work on during a second term.
While the 2022 election didn’t turn out how he might have hoped, Dabrowski now has two years to serve on council again before the next municipal election is held roughly two years from now.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
