‘Most ballots cast in any election for Cobourg’: Lucas Cleveland returns for second term as mayor
By reporter Natalie Hamilton
Pedalling around Cobourg promising to continue building a community with a “rock-solid” foundation, safer streets, and better financial stability, Lucas Cleveland has secured another four years as mayor of the Town of Cobourg.
In a three-way race for the mayor’s seat, the incumbent mayor received 4,524 votes, outgoing Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty earned 3,850 votes, and 1,432 residents cast their ballots for Max LeMarchant in the 2026 municipal election in Cobourg.
As the numbers were posted just before 9 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 26), Cleveland – who was not spotted within the crowd for the town’s in-person election announcement at the historic Victoria Hall – was declared to be re-elected.
“To the Town of Cobourg, I appreciate your confidence,” said Cleveland.
“Seeing (voter) turnout over 50 per cent shows that we had an invested future, we had an invested electorate, and people wanting to see a future for Cobourg and want to have a say in it,” Cleveland later told reporters gathered outside the legion on Orr Street.
Cobourg had an undoubtedly engaged community for the 2026 election. The Town of Cobourg has 19,439 eligible electors and the voter turnout was 51.1 per cent.
The results may reflect some of the candidates’ campaigns, which were colourful and controversial at times. The town also had a robust and co-ordinated campaign of its own to encourage residents to cast their ballots, the municipal clerk shared earlier with the Independent.
Following the election, Brent Larmer said the 2014 election featured a similar voter turnout rate of 52.4 per cent, but with 7,704 ballots cast.
“This election in 2026 was the most ballots cast in any election for Cobourg, with 9,939 electors casting ballots,” said Larmer, election returning officer and the town’s director of legislative services and clerk.
Back at Victoria Hall, a talkative crowd of guests fell silent as the unofficial results were cast on a projection screen in the Concert Hall. Beatty, who lost to Cleveland by 674 votes, thanked and hugged her father and other supporters who had gathered with other local politicians and residents.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed, but I also at the same time couldn’t be more proud of the 50-plus volunteers I had behind me, the over 6,500 doors we knocked on, my family (and) my kids,” said Beatty.
“Service in Cobourg for me is beyond council. I congratulate Mayor Cleveland, and (say) thank you to (LeMarchant) for getting involved and to all the members of council (who) ran: Congratulations. I look forward to supporting and leading Cobourg in any way I can.”
Meanwhile, back at the legion, upbeat music playing in the building could be heard from the parking lot.
Inside, amidst bunches of hot pink and white balloons, people were mingling in an atmosphere of victory in support of Cleveland, who will serve a second term at the helm of council and once again sit in the horseshoe as a member of Northumberland County council.
Cleveland posed for photographs with supporters such as Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini, and even with “Betty” – his bicycle that he reported was stolen during the campaign and returned to him prior to Monday night.
“Cobourg, what can I say ... we did it,” said Cleveland. “I’m beyond humbled at the result and the mandate you have given me tonight.
“When we started this journey together four years ago, we didn’t just set out to manage Cobourg – we set out to fight for it. “We wanted to build a community where our foundation was rock-solid, our streets were safe, and our future was secure.
“I am proud to stand before you and say that because of our collective hard work, determination, and resilience, Cobourg is stronger, working to be safer, and more financially-sound than it was four years ago,” he said.
“Four years ago, I promised to get our town’s operations running efficiently and to treat your hard-earned tax dollars with the respect they deserve. I didn’t just talk about it – working with you – we’ve delivered improvement. It has certainly been a fight,” he continued, noting, Cobourg secured more than $30 million in upper-tier government funding and grants to invest in local infrastructure.
Cleveland also touched on successes like re-imagining town budgets and the introduction of a citizen-led budget advisory committee. He said the result was a stabilizing municipal budget with a 2.74 per cent levy increase, “ensuring your pocketbooks are protected, while aggressively upgrading our water and housing-enabling infrastructure.”
“But true financial stewardship also means being willing to shine a light into dark corners and tackle long-standing institutional challenges head-on,” he said. “For too long, deep financial problems have been kept behind closed doors.”
Cleveland alleges for more than two decades, “a systemic lack of council oversight allowed structural liabilities to build up without accountability. Previous administrations sat through years of auditor warnings, incomplete reconciliations, and overdue statutory reports.”
The last four years were about “cleaning up operations, balancing the budget, exposing past mismanagement, and breaking the cycle of passive council oversight,” he said. “But our work is far from over.
“The next four years are about growth and implementation. They are about taking this strong, stable, and completely transparent foundation, expanding our economy, and building the bright future Cobourg deserves.”
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