There will be 11 new faces come December when the new London city council is sworn in. Voters proved they wanted change and not one of the so-called Fontana 8 will be in the mix.

Joe Fontana, the former mayor convicted of fraud charges last June, proved to be an albatross for his former colleagues.

Anyone associated with him was voted out, including Joe Swan, who finished a distant third in the mayoral race, won by Matt Brown.

Bud Polhill, Stepher Orser, Paul Van Meerbergen, Denise Brown and Sandy White all lost their seats.

Dale Henderson, another member of the eight, was not seeking another term.

Here’s a look at the new members.

Ward 1: Michael van Holst is a math and sciences teacher, who is also active in the arts community. He has also worked as a tax consultant and has studied web design. He has degrees in education and engineering.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 3: Mohamed Salih is a community activist who uses social media adeptly. He says he made it around his ward four times while campaigning. He was born in Sudan and immigrated to Canada as a child. He joined the Canadian Forces as a teenager.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 4: Jesse Helmer has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He started Better London a couple of years ago as a platform for Londoners to share ideas. He has a Master’s Degree in public administration.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 5: Maureen Cassidy is a community activist who became involved in city hall when she represented her community in a development issue. She has also worked in sales. She says her political motivation is due to wanting London to be a regional leader in economic growth and wealth creation.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 6: Phil Squire has been a school board trustee for a number of years. He has spent his whole life in Ward 6. His motivation for getting involved in municipal politics is to make his community a better place to live and work. He says he brings social justice mixed with a respect for taxpayers’ dollars to the table.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 7: Josh Morgan is a recruitment and development officer at Western. He has been chair of the London Public Library board as well as a member of the Western Fair Association. He has also taught economics and policy at Western.

 

 

 

 

Ward 9: Anna Hopkins has worked as a legal secretary, fitness instructor and with her husband in their heating and cooling business. She has been an executive member on a home and school association, soccer club and pre-school. She says she wants to learn more about the fluoride in water debate in London.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 10: Virginia Ridley has worked at the Children’s Aid Society of London & Middlesex and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. She has also been a community volunteer, which started at a young age. She has stated that of all the current council members, she would turn to Joni Baechler for advice.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 11: Stephen Turner has been president of the Urban League of London, a director for Reforest London and has been on city advisory committees and task forces .He has worked for the Canadian Coast Guard, OPP and now Oxford Emergency Medical Services.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 13: Tanya Park is a founding member of the Fugitive Slave Chapel Preservation Project and is president of her community association. She wants to make Ward 13 the place to live, work and retire. She has training as a personal support worker.

 

 

 

 

 

Ward 14: Jared Zaifman has worked for his family’s business, Z Group, and now works for the Parkinson Society of Ontario. His volunteer work includes time with the London Military Families Resources Board and the United Way Youth Committee. He has a Master’s Degree in public administration.