It appears residents in Ward 4 of Ramara Township will be going to the polls later this year.
At a Ramara Township committee of the whole meeting Monday, councillors decided to hold a byelection to replace Gary Hetherington, who resigned his Ward 4 seat Dec. 1. The decision is subject to ratification at the Jan. 29 council meeting.
All who spoke on the issue spoke in favour of holding a byelection — the option favoured by township staff. The two other options — appointing a qualified person who has consented to fill the seat or inviting applications that council would weigh — were not discussed.
Coun. Sherri Bell said she has heard clearly “the voices of Ward 5” and conceded she was “feeling the pressure” from residents to have a byelection.
“In the past, when an application process occurred, we gained a great councillor who comes with no personal agenda, no bias, manages the job fairly (and) represents her ward,” Bell said, referencing Coun. Jennifer Fisher, who was appointed during the last term of council.
Despite that, she voted in favour of the byelection as that was the option she said was preferred by her constituents.
Deputy Mayor Keith Bell said he didn’t feel any pressure to vote for a byelection.
“However, I do feel that this is the right decision. With three years left in the term, it just makes sense that people should decide who they want representing them,” he said.
Coun. Dana Tuju said she was “in favour of the democratic process” and also endorsed the byelection option.
In the last term of council, then-deputy mayor John O’Donnell died. Soon after, council made the decision to appoint Coun. Joe Gough to the deputy mayor position.
Gough’s council seat was then filled through the appointment-by-application process, during which Fisher was chosen.
Mayor Basil Clarke admitted the appointments were not well received by some township residents.
“However, that was during COVID, so, you know, it made sense for the council of the day,” Clarke said, noting because of the pandemic, you “couldn’t host a proper election, you couldn’t knock on people’s doors.”
“It was loud and clear from everyone I met after the appointments that they weren’t happy about it,” said the mayor.
According to the option selected by council, there will be an electronic option for Ward 4 residents in addition to paper ballots for those who prefer that option. The approved cost for the byelection is $8,500.
The date of the byelection has not been determined, but it’s expected to be in May.
Last week, Richard Black, who finished third in the October 2022 election in Ward 4, urged council to appoint him, saying the second-place finisher, Glenn Harrington, had left the area.
"They should put in the next person in line due to the fact that it can cost thousands to do a byelection," Black told OrilliaMatters.
During the 2022 municipal election, Hetherington narrowly won the seat, garnering 367 votes. Harrington was second with 338 votes, while Black finished in third spot with 207 ballots cast in his favour.
