Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis says there are several possibilities for the soon-to-be vacant Ward 7 seat.
Since Ward 7 Councillor Percy Hatfield won the provincial byelection for the NDP in Windsor-Tecumseh Thursday night, he is expected to announce his resignation of his seat on Windsor city council soon.
Francis says councillors are looking at the various options for his ward.
“I’ve heard different things out there from councillors,” says Francis. “There’s one camp that would like to have a byelection, there’s one camp that would like to appoint the second runner up, there’s one camp that would like to bring somebody in that could hit the ground running, like a Tom Wilson, that would then not run in the general election and give everybody fair play.”
Francis says he wants to hear from the public.
“Residents, you have a direct say in this. It would be very helpful for you to pick up the phone and let councillors know what to do,” says Francis.
Francis says a by-election would cost about $75,000 to $85,000. The earliest it would be is December or January.
In the meantime, other councillors and the mayor's office will pick up the tasks left by Hatfield in his ward.
The next council meeting in Aug. 26, but Francis says there might be a special meeting of council called to address the issue.
