The Municipality of Brockton appointed Kym Hutcheon to the vacant position of Deputy Mayor.
Hutcheon was chosen by a draw of lots, after the vote was tied with Councillor Tim Elphick. Councillor Carl Kuhnke also applied for the position.
"I'd like to extend my congratulations to Deputy Mayor Hutcheon on your appointment," said Mayor Chris Peabody at Tuesday's meeting. "Your dedication and commitment to our community have been exemplary. The work that you've done on the Physician Recruitment Committee, I believe we have a great thing going there and you've stuck with it for a few decades now, so that's very much appreciated."
Former Deputy Mayor James Lang tendered his resignation in writing on June 14.
Council accepted his resignation at the June 18 meeting, the same time it accepted an Integrity Commissioners report that found Lang harassed municipal staff at the Walkerton Arena while working with the Capitals, a Jr. C team in the PJHL that he co-owns.
The incident in question reportedly took place on December 16, 2023, when Lang, following a Capitals game, engaged in "yelling, name-calling and using profanities – aggressively kicking and violently slamming a steel fire door," according to the IC report.
Lang denied kicking and punching doors when he addressed the report at the June 18 council meeting. He appealed for leniency on council, who reduced his restriction from the Walkerton Arena from 12 months to nine months (ending Jan 1, 2025). Council also made an amendment to allow him to take his kids to the arena in the interim.
At Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Peabody said it was time for council to move forward.
"We went through a rough time but we are going to override that rough time and move forward as a collective group," he said. "The objectives and goals that we've been working on collectively with regard to growth and innovation and inclusion in Brockton, we'll all work together to focus on those goals."
The next goal for council is determining how to fill its vacant seat.