NIPIGON — Instead of going through a lengthy and expensive byelection to fill vacant council seats, Nipigon opted to speed up the process through appointment by application.
Since January, the township has had two councillors resign their seats. The first was John Zechner, who was replaced by Glen Hart in late February. The second was Pierre Pelletier, who resigned in late April, and Gayle Westhaver was sworn in to fill the seat on June 6.
The process went fairly smoothly. Some members of the public submitted a list of their qualifications on their application and some included a formal resume, according to Mayor Suzanne Kukko.
“We looked over those applications and then we had an in-camera session just sort of discussing all the different choices and the different applications, and then from there, we made our decision as to who we would appoint,” said Kukko.
In the case of Hart and Westhaver, it was their qualifications and interest in being active members of the community that made them stand out.
Hart had previously run for council in the 2022 election, coming in sixth place, so his interest in municipal politics was well known to the community.
“We knew that that the community knew him and that the people had voted for him in the community and he was interested in the position from the start,” Kukko said.
With a few more votes, Hart would have been elected in October. Hart also served as a long-time member of the economic development committee.
“I have a long-standing commitment to volunteerism and stuff within the township itself, I run the local paper. I'm the editor of the paper. So I have a lot of input from people. Some positive, some negative, but I know what the people are thinking. I just want to be able to give back in the ultimate volunteer position,” said Hart.
Westhaver also served on the economic development committee and the committee of adjustment. She also has a background in human resources. Another notable factor is she applied for a seat on council at the same time as Hart.
“We knew she was really interested and not making it through the cut that first time, didn't discourage her. So, we decided that Coun. Westhaver was the best fit for us at this time,” Kukko.
Westhaver has only been a councillor for a month and she has been “very busy” catching up on the number of issues facing the town.
“I can't believe the number of issues and ongoing things to deal with, including housing and some major capital projects, and it's a learning curve, said Westhaver.
However, she feels with her experience that she is up for the challenge.
With files from Leigh Nunan, TBT News