Three incumbent mayors defeated across Niagara Region during municipal elections

The Niagara Region saw major changes last night, with incumbent mayors ousted in three municipalities, including Niagara Falls.

One of the biggest upsets came in Niagara Falls, where incumbent Jim Diodati’s 16-year run as mayor came to an end. His replacement is city councillor Lori Lococo, who woke up this morning mayor-elect of the city.

“It was an amazing night, a great show of support,” Lococo said.

Lococo defeated the four-term mayor handily in a big upset, winning with 51.45 per cent of the vote. Diodati came in second with 41.73 per cent.

“People wanted change,” she said.

Lococo says that is what led her to join the mayoral race this election, adding she has heard from residents for years that they are struggling with affordability. Overhauling the city budget is her top priority.

“I’m going to do that through zero-based budgeting, and justify and evaluate every single expense and program,” Lococo said. “We’re going to look at if we’re having provincial or regional responsibilities that we are spending money on.”

Lococo says her plans for this term will require collaboration with all levels of government, and she is calling on Niagara Falls residents to stay engaged.

“We need to hear from residents,” Lococo said.

READ MORE: Lori Lococo elected mayor of Niagara Falls

Meanwhile, there is another new mayor in the region. Former regional councillor Pat Chiocchio is now the mayor of Welland.

He won in a very close race, finishing just 55 votes ahead of runner-up Graham Speck.

“We knocked on as many doors as possible, we had a great crew, we stayed focused,” Chiocchio said.

The mayor’s seat in Welland was up for grabs after Frank Campion decided not to run for re-election. Chiocchio says his first order of business will also be the budget.

“We will go through that budget line by line, see how we can streamline the budget, cut back,” Chiocchio said. “We want to bring back a budget that is affordable to Welland, that’s the first main goal.”

Elsewhere in the Niagara Region, there was a big upset in Fort Erie, where incumbent Wayne Redekop lost to Regional Coun. Tom Insinna.

In Port Colborne, incumbent Bill Steele lost his spot to City Coun. Bea Kenny.

Incumbents in St. Catharines, Grimsby, Pelham, Wainfleet and West Lincoln were all re-elected, while Lincoln, Thorold and Niagara-on-the-Lake have new mayors because the incumbents chose not to run.

The changes in the region go along with changes to the regional government. The 12 mayors will make up regional council, and the province will appoint a chair.

READ MORE: Here are the 2026 Municipal Election results for Niagara cities, towns