Poll Puts Meed Ward Ahead of Nisan in the Burlington Mayor's Race

Burlington votes for mayor on October 26, and a new poll gives the incumbent a narrow lead. Liaison Strategies has Marianne Meed Ward at 38 per cent, Rory Nisan at 33 per cent and Lisa Kearns at 23 per cent, with six per cent picking someone else.

The survey covered 515 Burlington residents polled between August 7 and 11. Who commissioned it has not been made public.

Meed Ward is not putting weight on it. She said she does not rely on an anonymous poll to tell her what residents think, and would rather knock on doors and ask. Nisan, in a statement to BurlingtonToday, said the numbers show a two-candidate race and that "the only poll that matters is the one on October 26th." Kearns did not reply to a request for comment.

The same survey asked whether Burlington is headed in the right direction. Half said the wrong direction, 35 per cent said the right one, and 15 per cent were unsure. Meed Ward read that as general anxiety about affordability, trade and other things a city does not control. Nisan tied it to cost of living and to a 40 per cent increase in the city's budget, which he says he voted against as a councillor.