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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2018-08-23, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018. Thompson to run in 2019 Facciotti again crowned the King of Walton Continued from page 1 race, earning 57 points and taking top spot for the day. The win marks the Aylmer, Ontario native’s fifth in Walton. Facciotti, after the race, led the 450 Pro season with 463 points. Tyler Medaglia claimed second in the 450 Pro class with a first- and fourth-place finish on the day for 53 points. Medaglia, from Brookfield, Nova Scotia, sits in fourth place for the season with 420 points. Cole Thompson of Brigden, Ontario, earned 50 points with a fourth- and third-place finish. Thompson, after the races, trailed Facciotti with 434 points in second place. In the 250 Pro class, Dylan Wright took first place for the day, earning 57 points with a second- and first- place win in races one and two, respectively. Wright, from Ottawa, was fourth in the season with 382 points. Jess Pettis took second place with a first- and third-place finish generating 55 points. Pettis, who hails from Prince George, British Columbia, was on top of the season leaderboard with 449 points after the races in Walton. Marco Cannella took third place with a third- and fourth-place finish, earning 48 points on the day. Cannella, from Waterdown, Ontario, is fifth for the season with 373 points. Lee said Saturday was a good day for the raceway with an approximate 7,000 people passing through the gates. With the action beginning on Tuesday, Lee felt that it made for a successful return given that the event had taken 2017 off. The Walton team operated with a skeleton staff, Lee said, with just over 10 people at the heart of the operation and about 30 employees in total. That wasn’t all, however, as volunteers, whether they be friends and family or neighbours like the McGavins, made their way to the raceway to pitch in unannounced. As part of reconnecting with the local community, Lee said he had invited many of Huron County’s and Huron East’s politicians to the raceway and many took him up on the offer. To have Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan in attendance, taking a tour of the grounds, Lee said, meant a lot to him. The mayor hadn’t been to the TransCan before and he said he left thoroughly impressed with what he saw. Lee said that on a personal note, as someone who has been involved with motocross on his property (and his father’s before him) for nearly as long as he’s been alive, he and Mel were very proud with what they were able to accomplish last week. For those who weren’t able to get out to the raceway over the course of the week, the action will be broadcast on TSN next week sometime, though Lee wasn’t sure of broadcast times. In October, the raceway will be home to the Thames Valley Racers on Oct. 6-7 and Walton Halloween Tours Oct. 24-28 before wrapping up the 2018 season with a Halloween mudbog on Oct. 28 before taking a break for the winter months. On Monday, Goderich’s Allan Thompson announced his bid to be the Liberal candidate for Huron- Bruce in 2019 federal election. In a press release Thompson circulated, he states he wants to commit to create rural opportunities and build rural economies in the riding. “Now, more than ever, I believe that Huron-Bruce needs a stronger voice in Ottawa,” he said, “an ambitious, proactive and effective MP who will speak up forcefully for our rural communities and make sure that rural concerns are heard in the corridors of power.” Thompson ran in the 2015 federal election that saw now-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seize a convincing majority from the Conservatives who had been the ruling party since Stephen Harper led the Conservative Party to a minority win in 2006. Thompson received 39.71 per cent of the riding’s votes, an increase of 23.21 per cent for the Liberals over the previous election, coming in second to Incumbent Conservative MP Ben Lobb’s 44.94 per cent. Thompson said he plans on building on that momentum and, for the first time since Huron-Bruce Liberal MP Paul Steckle retired in 2008, sending a Liberal representative to Ottawa from Huron-Bruce. After the election, Thompson was chosen to lead ProjectRURAL, a task force for the Liberal Party to examine how it could better serve rural ridings. Thompson says he vows to be a voice for his riding, including farmers and everyone living in small towns and on country roads. He also identifies seniors’ needs, healthcare, mental health issues and drug addiction as concerns for rural communities. Retaining youth and making the region a viable place for them to settle is also on his radar. Thompson is a former political reporter from the Toronto Star and is currently on sabbatical from Ottawa’s Carleton University where he is a journalism professor. According to his release, he recently launched a communications firm based in Goderich. Thompson was born and raised on a farm outside of Glammis in southern Bruce County. He attended Bruce Township Central Public and Walkerton District Secondary Schools and began his career as a journalist as a reporter with the Kincardine Independent and Teeswater News. Thompson is married to Roula El- Rifai, who works at the International Development Research Centre. Their son Laith is starting his second year at Carleton University. Thompson’s campaign officially kicked off on Aug. 22 at his new home in downtown Goderich. For more information, or to get in touch with Thompson, visit www.allanthompson.ca. Your Local Paper - The Original Social Media! News / Information / Events / Shopping Community / & More In print, online or on the go, we are your local newspaper. We keep you connected to what’s happening in our communities and surrounding areas. The Citizen www.northhuron.on.ca Facebook www.Facebook.com/NorthHuronCitizen Twitter @TheNHCitizen The Citizen info@northhuron.on.ca ATTENTION August 28 & 30 7-9 pm - Blyth Arena New players require COPY of birth certificate Players younger than 7 welcome. Atom team based on numbers You need to bring 3 cheques per player when registering EVERYONE WELCOME! Call Vicky 519-523-4870 www.blythjuniorbroomball.shutterfly.com Youth Ages 7-19 BLYTH JUNIOR BROOMBALL REGISTRATION For 2018/2019 Season Good to be king Colton Facciotti, centre, was named the King of Walton once again when he was presented with the coveted sword on Saturday after another great day on the local track. Facciotti is no stranger to the sword, having won it before. Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb made the presentation as the event wrapped up on Saturday evening supported by a trio of Rockstar Energy Drink girls, the new sponsor of the motocross tour. (Denny Scott photo) Second time around Goderich’s Allan Thompson, after a narrow loss to incumbent Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb in 2015, has announced he will run again in 2019, following a similar announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Photo submitted)