A by-election is on the way in Tecumseh to replace the vacant Ward 2 council seat left by the sudden death of the late Mike Rohrer.
Council voted to have a by-election instead of appointing a replacement.
Mayor Gary McNamara says it will be crucial to bring the new member up to speed on municipal files as soon as possible with major issues likely needing to be resolved before the end of the council term in two years.
"Members of council are going to have to help support that member," says McNamara.
He points to the planned Tecumseh Rd. makeover and the bingo lawsuit as major issues facing council.
A by-election is expected to cost up to $15,000 with a new member elected likely before November. Appointing a councillor was estimated to cost roughly $1,500 with the new member's first meeting expected to be September 13.
"There's a cost to democracy," says Joe Bachetti, deputy mayor in Tecumseh. "I think it was the right decision that this council took and allow any individuals to represent Ward 2."
A similar tragedy in Leamington should give council a friend to learn from to ease the transition for the incoming Tecumseh councillor.
"Talking to municipalities like Leamington, certainly they've gone through it," says McNamara. "It was a shock to them. It's almost the same circumstance where it was not expected and you lose a very active and a good member."
Leamington councillor Rick Atkin suddenly passed away last year. Leamington council decided to appoint the candidate with the next highest number of votes from the previous election and renamed a park in Atkin's memory.
Rohrer died of a suspected heart attack in May.
