Ontario mayor faces lone challenger – the brother he doesn’t speak to

Charles Steele, left, and Bill Steele, right. ‘[My brother] thinks he’s entitled to become mayor. And his arrogance was bothering me,’ said Charles Steele, the challenger. Photograph: Supplied

When Charles Steele stepped on to a debate stage last week, it was the first time since the election campaign began that he’d confronted his lone opponent in a bitterly contested race to become mayor of a small Canadian town.

The encounter also marked the first time he’d spoken to his brother Bill – the incumbent mayor – in more than 30 years.

“I was quite nervous. I never debated or anything like that in front of a crowd,” Charles told the Guardian. “And I got a little mad a few times. But [my brother] thinks he’s entitled to become mayor. And his arrogance was bothering me.”

The showdown between the estranged brothers has catapulted Port Colborne, a town of just under 20,000 on the shores of Lake Erie, into the limelight, making it one of the more closely watched races in elections across Ontario this Monday.

Bill Steele was poised to run unopposed for his second term as mayor of Port Colborne, a town of nearly 20,000 on the shores of Lake Erie.

The day before candidate registration closed in late August, however, Charles submitted his own name in the mayoral race.

“I’m [doing this] because of democracy. If I didn’t, my brother would have been acclaimed because nobody else is running. It’s just the two of us,” said Charles, adding that less than half of residents voted in the last election – an “abysmal” showing.

The brothers have been vague about the source of their prolonged estrangement.

“[Bill’s] politics are quite different from mine. He’s pretty rightwing. I’m for the little guy,” said Charles. “I’d like to see the citizens take back our future and not hand to the the powerful elite.”

Mayor Bill Steele, who previously served as a city councillor for 17 years, did not respond to an interview request. He previously told local media he “doesn’t talk about” his opponents.

Charles has run a grassroots campaign, largely focused on addressing homelessness and taxation. But he’s also taken shots at his brother, who he accuses of being part of an “old boys’ club” of powerful figures.

“I moved to Toronto when I was 18 and became a mailman. Now I’m on a pension – so I know what it’s like to live on a fixed income. And [my brother] doesn’t seem to get that,” said Charles. “He just doesn’t seem to get that people can’t afford more taxes and water rates are skyrocketing.”

The race has become constant fodder on the town’s unofficial Facebook page, where some residents have relished the feud, while others complain the rivalry has turned Port Colborne into a “laughing stock”.

Whoever wins, the bare-knuckle nature of municipal politics means there is little chance of any reconciliation between the brothers.

“Oh, it’s definitely made things worse,” said Charles. “I just don’t think he was taking me seriously. But obviously he is taking me very seriously now. Win or lose, it’s got my message across about issues that matter for the average person.”