Four candidates, including three sitting councillors, now running for mayor of Oshawa

And now there are four.

Three sitting councillors and one contractor have thrown their hats into the ring in the campaign to be the next mayor of Oshawa, with Ward 4 councillor Derek Giberson announcing his intention to vie for the seat being vacated by retiring mayor Dan Carter.

Giberson kicked off his campaign at a launch Wednesday at the Victoria Street pedestrian plaza downtown, calling the city a “great story” that needs a new chapter written.

“For too long it seems we’ve been stuck in a rut. The same leaders, the same problems,” he said. “We are capable of so much more. It’s time for a change.”

Derek Giberson

Local contractor Henry Onwuachu also filed his nomination papers Wednesday, bringing the total of candidates to date to four.

Front runner and Ward 2 Regional Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri filed on May 1 – the opening day for nominations – while Ward 2 City Councillor Jim Lee announced his intention to run for mayor on May 26.

Marimpietri has served the city since 2003 (except for a four-year blip from 2014-2018), while Giberson is finishing his second term representing Oshawa’s downtown. Lee, a retired firefighter, was elected in 2022.