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Proud to be part of your community! Thursday, December 29, 2016 | 36 pages
Council must move quickly to fill vacant rural seat: Mayor BY BILL HUTCHINS
News - Kingston city council has taken the first step to filling the rural seat that was left vacant by the sudden resignation of first-term councillor Richard Allen. "We need to restore the 13th vote on council," said Mayor Bryan Paterson. He introduced a motion Dec. 20, approved unanimously by council, to formally declare the Countryside district seat vacant, as required by provincial law, thus clearing the way for either a district by-election or an appointment process. The same motion instructed staff to bring back a report for the Jan. 24 meeting outlining various options to fill the vacancy, when a final decision is expected to be made. There are three replacement options on the table; appointing 2014's Countryside election runner-up candidate Jeff Scott to the position, accepting nominations from the community at large, or holding a district by-election. "We need to consider the cost of each of those options. We also need to consider the time frame because right now Countryside residents are without a councillor," explained Mayor Paterson. The mayor says he will take over Allen's responsibilities in Countryside on an interim basis, but urged council to move quickly to find a full-time replacement to minimize the disruption to the city's rural Sugar Plum Fairies Abbigail Corrigan, Lilly Smith, Maddy Smith, Sophia Oliveira, Stella constituents. "My concern with the by-election is Li and Ava Cottle perform in the Arabesque Academy of Dance First Annual Holiday Show that I expect it is more costly and takes more time. held at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute. On the ground is dance instructor If the other options can move more quickly and at a lower cost then I think that would be an advantage." Jessica Irwin. The mayor says he has spoken with a couple of Mark Bergin/Metroland the councillors who ran in the last election in Countryside, including Scott and Joyce MacLeod-Kane, to gauge whether they might be interested in filling
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the seat until the next civic election. Countryside is the city's largest geographical district, centred north of Highway 401, but has one of the smallest populations. At this point, councillors say they are hesitant to say which option they might support. "I'd like to keep my mind open," said Coun. Peter Stroud. "Let's get more information from staff but ultimately the fairest way is for the people of Countryside to choose that person," said Coun. Mary Rita Holland. Allen announced his immediate resignation and, by the time council had convened the following night, his seat was empty and his name plate was removed from the horseshoe leaving the city with 11 councillors plus the mayor. Allen has accepted a full-time economic development position with the County of Frontenac and says the new job, coupled with the pending arrival of a child this spring, would leave him little time to represent the people of Countryside until the next election in 2018. Allen was among a wave of youthful newcomers first elected to city hall in 2014. Councillors say his swift departure caught them by surprise. "I thought he was kidding when he told me," said Coun. Adam Candon. "I didn't see it coming," said Coun. Holland. The mayor and councillors took turns praising Allen's contribution to politics and policies during his short tenure around the horseshoe. "His voice and presence will be missed," said Mayor Paterson. "Even when we didn't agree I appreciated the amount of thoughtful consideration he gave to issues," remarked Coun. Jim Neill.
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