Garry Guzzo

Garry Guzzo
Ontario MPP
In office
1999–2003
Preceded by New riding
Succeeded by Jim Watson
Constituency Ottawa West—Nepean
In office
1995–1999
Preceded by Yvonne O'Neill
Succeeded by Riding abolished
Constituency Ottawa–Rideau
Ottawa City Councilor
In office
1969–1972
Preceded by Don Lockhart
Succeeded by Jules Morin
Constituency Capital Ward
Personal details
Born (1941-11-18) November 18, 1941
Ottawa, Ontario
Political party Progressive Conservative
Profession Lawyer

Garry Guzzo (born November 18, 1941) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003. He represented the ridings of Ottawa–Rideau and Ottawa West—Nepean.[1]

Background

Guzzo was educated at the University of Ottawa. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a law degree. He practiced as a lawyer with the firm of Chiarelli and Guzzo from 1969 to 1976, was a provincial court judge from 1978 to 1989. He practiced for a short time as counsel with the firm Kelly, Howard, Santini and then operated a private practice in Ottawa until 1999. He also served as a director of the city's Riverside Hospital.

Politics

Guzzo was elected for a three-year term to Ottawa City Council as an alderman for Capital Ward in 1969.

In the provincial election of 1971, he ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in Ottawa Centre, and came within 182 votes of defeating future New Democratic Party leader Michael Cassidy.[2] From 1974 to 1976, he served as a Councillor in the regional municipality of Ottawa-Carleton.

Guzzo ran for the Ontario legislature a second time in the provincial election of 1995, and defeated Liberal incumbent Yvonne O'Neill by about 1,500 votes in the riding of Ottawa—Rideau.[3] The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in this election under Mike Harris; despite being the only Tory Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from Ottawa, however, Guzzo was not appointed to cabinet.[4]

In the 1999 provincial election, Guzzo won re-election in the redistributed riding of Ottawa West—Nepean[5] against Liberal Rick Chiarelli and New Democratic incumbent Alex Cullen. (The Harris government had previously reduced the number of ridings from 130 to 103, forcing several incumbents to face one another for re-election.) He was again left out of cabinet in the parliament which followed, and became best known for a private member's bill calling for an investigation into rumours of an organized pedophile ring in Cornwall, Ontario.[6]

In 2003, Guzzo criticized his own government for unveiling its budget at the headquarters of Magna International, rather than in the legislature. Later in the year, he courted controversy by making favourable comments about former United States Senator Joseph McCarthy, and criticizing "illegal refugees" for burdening the province's taxation system. These comments may have contributed to his defeat in the provincial election of 2003; Guzzo lost to former Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson by just under 3,000 votes.

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 1995: Ottawa—Rideau
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
Progressive ConservativeGarry Guzzo 14,796 45.11 $ 42,588.00
LiberalYvonne O'Neill 13,273 40.47 42,982.18
New DemocraticDan McIntyre 4,138 12.62 29,016.02
GreenLenora Burke 412 1.26 0.00
Natural LawRichard Wolfson 178 0.54 0.00
Total valid votes/Expense limit 32,797 100.0   $ 47,240.00
Total rejected ballots 274 0.83
Turnout 33,071 61.29
Eligible voters 53,961
Ontario general election, 1999: Ottawa West—Nepean
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
Progressive ConservativeGarry Guzzo 22,834 47.79 $ 52,524.00
LiberalRick Chiarelli 16,419 34.36 69,057.01
New DemocraticAlex Cullen 7,701 16.12 32,467.74
GreenRichard Warman 453 0.95 0.00
IndependentMegan Hnatiw 129 0.27 0.00
IndependentJohn Turmel 94 0.20 0.00
Confederation of Regions Anthony C. Silvestro 79 0.17 806.00
Natural LawLester J. Newby 70 0.15 0.00
Total valid votes/Expense limit 47,779 100.0   $ 78,526.08
Total rejected ballots 393 0.82
Turnout 48,172 58.89
Eligible voters 81,798
Ontario general election, 2003: Ottawa West—Nepean
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalJim Watson 23,127 47.04 +12.68 $ 67,833.00
Progressive ConservativeGarry Guzzo 20,277 41.24 −6.55 60,734.31
New DemocraticMarlene Rivier 4,099 8.34 −7.78 17,396.47
GreenNeil Adair 1,309 2.66 +1.71 2,684.09
IndependentRobert G. Gauthier 353 0.72   Unavailable  
Total valid votes/Expense limit 49,165 100.0   +2.90 $ 76,392.96
Total rejected ballots 272 0.55 −0.27
Turnout 49,437 62.13 +3.24
Eligible voters 79,576   −2.72

References

  1. ↑ Docherty, David (2005-05-09). Legislatures. UBC Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7748-1065-4. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
  3. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. June 8, 1995. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  4. ↑ "Garry J. Guzzo, MPP". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
  5. ↑ Micromedia (November 2002). Canadian almanac & directory. Copp, Clark. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-895021-93-6. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  6. ↑ "Lawyer and Former Judge Garry Guzzo." Cornwall -The Inquiry. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
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