Goderich council has appointed councillor Leah Noel to the vacant seat of deputy mayor.
The seat had been empty for a month, after Trevor Bazinet was appointed to the mayor's role, in the wake of Myles Murdock's passing.
Council was informed of its options on how to fill the seat in closed session, which included a byelection and appointment from the general public, before settling on appointment from its own ranks in open session.
Councillor Randy Carroll said it was the best option available.
"When you look around the table it's apparent that there's no lack of skill required to fill the role and for some, a willingness to be considered... I think we can all agree that we need to move on and need to take the next step of filling the vacated council seat, get back to focusing on the issues at hand, our strategic plan and its deliverables. It is my opinion that the taxpayers of the Town of Goderich will be better served by us appointing from within versus looking at other ways," he said
Noel is one of five members serving in their first term on council, with only Mayor Bazinet having previous experience.
The next regular council meeting is October 16.