His father, James Friel, was involved in the labour movement and ran for a trustee position on the Brant County Board of Education in 1976.

[8] Friel became mayor during a period of economic difficulties for Brantford; shortly after his election, he described the city as having the worst downtown in Canada.

[10] Friel initially opposed the Brantford Charity Casino, describing it as a "scam" designed to shift money from the city to the province.

"[11] He later accepted the casino's presence and tried to ensure it would provide some benefits to his community, though he still described it as an economic mistake.

Brant County Mayor Ron Eddy strongly opposed this position, and Friel later acknowledged that producing a local agreement would be impossible.

[16] During the same period, Friel argued that the Six Nations people have a legitimate claim to the land surrounding the Grand River, six miles in each direction.

[18] Friel strongly supported Brantford's anti-smoking by-law, citing his own father's death from lung cancer at a relatively young age.

[24] Friel was a political ally of Brant Member of Parliament (MP) Jane Stewart, who served as a cabinet minister in Jean Chrétien's government.

[27] Friel sought the Liberal Party nomination for Brant in the buildup to the 2004 federal election, but lost to Lloyd St.