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If you believe council should fill the vacancies in Ward 6 and Ward 13 at the same time, in the same way, and that such a process should be fair and open, please add your name.

With Arielle Kayabaga becoming the Member of Parliament for London West and Phil Squire being appointed to the Consent and Capacity Board by the province, city council has two vacancies to fill in Ward 13 and Ward 6.

At the corporate services committee meeting on 12 Oct, the committee recommended, on a 3-2 vote (Morgan, Holder, Van Holst in favour; Cassidy and Peloza opposed), that John Fyfe-Millar be appointed to fill the vacancy in Ward 13. That committee recommendation will be considered at the council meeting on 26 Oct.

Councillor Maureen Cassidy and I have submitted a letter to the 26 Oct council meeting proposing that council refer the recommendation to appoint John Fyfe-Millar to a special Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meeting in order to fill both vacancies at the same time, in the same way, following the same process.

Here's a section of the letter:

"We believe it is important, especially if municipal council decides to fill these two vacancies by appointment rather than by holding byelections, that such a process be fair and open.

"We also believe it is important that the same process is used to fill both vacancies, and that we act promptly as a council to fill those vacancies at the same time in the same way.

"Finally, we believe that incumbency is generally a significant advantage in a municipal election campaign, and that anyone who is appointed to fill one of these two vacancies should commit to not seeking election to the same council seat in the 2022 election."

If you believe council should fill both vacancies at the same time, in the same way, and that such a process should be fair and open, please add your name.

29 signatures so far

Will you sign?


Showing 25 reactions

  • James Beech
    signed 2021-10-24 07:40:26 -0400
  • Kevin May
    signed 2021-10-23 14:35:44 -0400
  • John Hassan
    signed 2021-10-23 13:04:45 -0400
  • marci easton
    signed 2021-10-22 18:45:15 -0400
  • Alec Mazurek
    signed 2021-10-22 15:13:23 -0400
    Thank you for finding a compromise for the appointment of these seat vacancies. I strongly believe that this is a fair and reasoned way to ensure that our democratic process remains intact while also fulfilling our civic duties to our constituents through an appointment.
  • Mike MacKenzie
    signed 2021-10-22 14:12:12 -0400
  • Colin Evans
    signed 2021-10-22 08:29:32 -0400
  • Marcus Plowright
    @marcusplow tweeted link to this page. 2021-10-22 05:41:57 -0400
    Council should fill the two vacancies at the same time, in the same way, with a fair and open process. Add your name if you agree! #ldnont https://www.helmer.ca/fair_and_open?recruiter_id=2239
  • Marcus Plowright
    signed 2021-10-22 05:41:44 -0400
  • Christopher DeGroot
    signed 2021-10-22 00:29:28 -0400
  • Mandy Penney
    signed 2021-10-22 00:24:30 -0400
  • Jacquetta Newman
    signed 2021-10-21 23:52:38 -0400
  • Sandra Miller
    signed 2021-10-21 22:35:11 -0400
  • Jamie Hildebrand
    signed 2021-10-21 19:49:56 -0400
  • Dan Hilton
    signed 2021-10-21 17:15:55 -0400
  • Kevin George
    @itsjustkevy tweeted link to this page. 2021-10-21 16:34:57 -0400
    Council should fill the two vacancies at the same time, in the same way, with a fair and open process. Add your name if you agree! #ldnont https://www.helmer.ca/fair_and_open?recruiter_id=66343
  • Kevin George
    signed 2021-10-21 16:34:01 -0400
  • Kathy Navackas
    signed 2021-10-21 16:27:59 -0400
  • Amanda Seabrook
    signed 2021-10-21 15:31:56 -0400
  • Susan Toth
    signed 2021-10-21 15:23:35 -0400
    Fully support this. Both vacancies should be approached consistently. Council should avoid appearing to endorse a candidate that intends to run in a future election.
  • John Luke Wheatley
    signed 2021-10-21 12:50:19 -0400
  • Lincoln McCardle
    signed 2021-10-21 12:07:56 -0400
  • Ben Johnson
    signed 2021-10-21 11:55:02 -0400
  • Donna currie
    signed 2021-10-21 11:53:03 -0400
    this is the only way! thanks for doing this!
  • Jesse Helmer
    published this page 2021-10-21 11:41:03 -0400