Will there be a by-election in Kingsville?
Kingsville Town Council will discuss its options Monday night at its meeting after Councillor Sandy McIntyre handed in her resignation August 14.
McIntyre told BlackburnNews.com she is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and her husband has lung cancer.
A report to council says leaving her seat vacant is not an option under the Municipal Elections Act because the next municipal election is more than 90 days away. That leaves councillors with two options: appoint someone to the council or hold a byelection.
If the council decides to put it to a vote, it will have to pass a bylaw Monday night. Nominees would have to file their paperwork by December 22, and the by-election will be held February 15.
Unlike Essex which is holding a by-election this October to fill the vacancy left by Bill Caixiero, Kingsville will have to hold the vote at large because it does not have a ward system. The costs will be higher too. In Essex, the cost of the by-election on October 23 is estimated around $15,000. It will be $50,000 in Kingsville.
The new councillor would take their seat on February 26, 11 days after the vote.
If council chooses to appoint someone, they could choose an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 municipal election, or take applications from the public. Taking that route could mean the vacancy is filled by November 13 at the cost of $1,500.
The last time Kingsville has had to fill a vacancy on council was in 2011 when Councillor Gail Stiffler resigned. Beth Riddiford was appointed.
