London, Ontario, Councilors Cassidy and Helmer Call for an Application Process to Fill Vacant Council Seats – London | The Canadian News

Two councilors from the city of London, Ontario, are calling for an open appointment process to fill the remaining vacant council seats in District 6 and District 13.

The London city council will meet next Tuesday to discuss options on how to fill two vacancies that were left after Arielle Kayabaga and Phil Squires announced their resignations.

Kayabaga resigned from the council after being elected MP for London West in federal elections last month.

Squire resigned last week after being appointed to the Consent and Capacity Board, which is a provincial court that deals with healthcare consent issues in Ontario.

Councilors are scheduled to vote next week on whether John Fyfe-Miller will serve as District 13 councilor, based on the recommendation of a city committee.

Fyfe-Miller was a finalist for that seat in the 2018 municipal elections behind Arielle Kayabaga.

The committee passed a motion by Mayor Ed Holder to appoint Fyfe-Millar instead of holding a by-election as it will save time, but not all council members agree to this system.

Councilors Maureen Cassidy and Jesse Helmer wrote a letter to the other councilors recommending that the council consider an open appointment process for the two seats, which would mean that residents could apply for the vacancies.

“We believe that it is important that this process is fair, open and transparent, especially if the City Council decides to fill these two vacancies by appointment instead of by-elections,” the letter from the two councilors reads.

The two say that both vacancies must be filled in the same way and at the same time, on or before the next council meeting on November 16, 2021.

“We believe that tenure is generally a significant advantage in a municipal election campaign and that anyone who is appointed to fill one of these two vacancies must commit not to seek election to the same council seat in the 2022 elections.”

Helmer and Cassidy are proposing a motion that would implement an application process that would allow Fyfe-Million to apply alongside others who wish to fill the vacancies.

“I am not in favor of the second classified filling these seats. I think it should be a process where people can apply, give their rationale, give their experience and qualifications, and let the council decide based on the applications we receive, “said Cassidy.

“Democratically, the best option under the best circumstances would be election, but we recognize tight deadlines,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy says that if there were a by-election, the people elected would not end up on the council until February, which would make little sense given that the next municipal elections will be held in May 2022.

– with Natalie Love files