BYELECTION RECOMMENDED FOR WARD 4 SEAT

Haldimand staff has recommended to council that there be a byelection held to fill the vacancy in Ward 4. After Natalie Stam's resigned as councillor on March 6, less than four months after taking office, the county had two options under the Municipal Act — appoint someone to fill the seat or hold a byelection.

"While the byelection would take a little more time than an appointment process and would incur more costs, it would provide a clear indication of the preference of Ward 4 constituents for local representation and is fully align

ed with the values of local democracy," read the report prepared by county clerk Evelyn Eichenbaum.

Council was expected to discuss the matter during its March 21 council-incommittee session, with a bylaw approving byelection to be voted on at the March 27 council meeting. The report recommends that the nomination period would open March. 28, with Nomination Day on May 5, and the byelection on June 19.

However, there are some within Ward 4 who think an appointment, rather than a byelection, would be preferable.

Hagersville District and Chamber of Commerce president Rob Phillips said his first thought when he heard about the Ward 4 vacancy was for Stam.

"It's too bad that Natalie's

facing these health issues that have led to her resignation," he said. "She was very eager, she was digging her teeth into stuff and really working hard for the community, and we're sad to see that it's come to this.

"But now that it has, I mean, we do have a vacancy, that it's important that it gets filled."

Phillips said the next few months of byelection process could be more efficiently spent — both in money and in time, by appointing someone as councillor.

"I haven't cast a vote among the chamber members, but every feedback I've had from business owners or community members said the appointment makes sense because only two people threw their hat in the ring for the election," said Phillips. "Maybe somebody will come out of the woodwork and run now but didn't feel comfortable running back in October or whatever the case may be."

However, Phillips said having new candidates throw their hats into the ring can have a downside.

"The people who ran last time were caught up with issues; they had done their research and knew what they needed to do," he said. "Now all of a sudden, somebody has got to, who didn't previously feel prepared to run, and will have to do all that."

But Dunnville resident and former councillor, Mike Ramsey said that a byelection was the best choice for the county — and the ward, saying that the county should "let the people speak and let the best person win."

"Appointments look like a backroom deal and give the public no voice in the matter," he said. "I really

believe there are good people out there that will step up and run in a byelection.

"We live in a democracy that (determines) how we do things, and this does not happen much at all," said Ramsey. "Being cheap and taking away the right for the public to choose is not very democratic, and council is going to look like a

closed-door club.

"If they don't give the public the right to choose, they will pay a price in the next election."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When we learned Haldimand's Ward 4 seat was empty, we wanted to weigh byelection vs. appointment to fill the vacant councillor position.