Campbell had served on Niagara Falls City Council since 1985, with an eight-year hiatus in the 2010s. Pictured: Former Niagara Falls Councillor Wayne Campbell. Photo Credit: City of Niagara Falls/X.
Wayne Campbell, a long-time city councillor in Niagara Falls, passed away last week, just days after he resigned from Council for medical reasons. He was 78.
Campbell was first elected to city council in 1985, serving until 2006, when he ran and lost for mayor. Campbell returned to council in 2014 and served until late last month.
There had been hints that Campbell was ill: he was granted a leave of absence from Council meetings earlier this year. Campbell died of prostate cancer, according to his family. He had been battling cancer for nearly three years.
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, a friend and long-time colleague of Campbell’s, took to Instagram to reflect on Campbell’s life and legacy.
“Known for his ruff and guff exterior, he was a squishy teddy bear on the inside, always doing what he believed was right, not what was popular,” wrote Diodati. “His 28 years of service to the residents of Niagara Falls, including his efforts to support youth struggling with addictions and mental health, left an indelible mark on our community.”
Flags in Niagara Falls were flown at half-mast to honour Campbell.
Council decided to replace Campbell with the next runner-up in the 2022 municipal election rather than hold a by-election for his seat, given that a full municipal election will be held next year.
Niagara Falls elects councillors at-large, so former city councillor Vince Kerrio was appointed to fill Campbell’s seat. The first runner-up in 2022 was Chris Dabrowski, who was appointed to fill a seat vacated by Wayne Thomson last fall.
Kerrio came in tenth place in 2022, with the top eight candidates elected to serve on Council.
Campbell entered politics even earlier than 1985: he served for five years as a trustee before getting elected to Council, meaning Campbell served for more than four decades.
Diodati concluded his post on Instagram, saying “your contributions and the example you set will never be forgotten.”
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.
