Essex Ward 3 Residents Vote Monday

Residents of Essex's Ward 3 will choose a new councillor Monday.

The ward, formerly Colchester South, will hit the polls in a by-election to replace town councillor Bill Caixiero. Physical voting will take place between 10am and 8pm on a paper ballot format.

Caixiero resigned his seat this summer, citing personal and family reasons. The winner of the by-election will fill out Caixiero's term, until the next Ontario municipal election in October 2018.

Ward 3 residents had a previous opportunity to cast a ballot on October 14 when an advance poll took place. The following polling places will be in operation for Monday.

• Polls 1 and 2 - Harrow Agricultural Hall, 134 McAfee St, Harrow
• Polls 3 and 4 - Colchester Community Centre, 100 Jackson St at Colchester Harbour
• Polls 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 - Harrow Agricultural Hall

In order to vote, residents must be a Canadian citizen 18 years of age or older and not prohibited from voting under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Residents also must either live in Ward 3 or own property in Ward 3, or be the spouse of a Ward 3 resident or property owner.

Voter notification cards were sent by post to registered and eligible voters at the end of September. Please bring this card to your poll site, as it will help speed up the voting process.

Voters who are eligible and did not receive a card are asked to bring proof of Canadian citizenship, plus a government-issued ID proving place of residence.

The four candidates who have filed to run in the by-election are, in alphabetical order:

• Rodney Hammond, 57, a Harrow resident. He is employed as a cook at the Kensington Court retirement community.
• Mike Jenner, a Harrow resident. He is married with two daughters. He is employed as the plant manager at Laval International in Tecumseh.
• Richard Kokovai, a Harrow resident. Semi-retired, he has served three terms on Essex Town Council before amalgamation, first elected at age 22.
• Ron Rogers, a Colchester resident. He is a previous town councillor, serving first with Colchester South before amalgamation and with Essex afterwards. He also unsuccessfully ran twice for mayor.

Results of the by-election should be available after the polls close at 8pm. The results will be shown at the Harrow and Colchester South Community Centre on McAfee St in Harrow. The community room opens at 7pm. Results will also be available here.