.png;w=960)
MAPLETON – Councillor Martin Tamlyn has resigned from his position on the Mapleton council after two years.
In a letter to the council, Tamlyn said he has accepted a new job as the climate change coordinator for the township of Centre Wellington starting Sept. 30 and is unable to continue as a councillor because the position is part of a shared service agreement with the township of Mapleton.
Elected to council in 2022, this was Tamlyn's first term as a councillor.
"I am thankful for my time on council, the learning that took place and for the support that has been given to me in making this transition," said Tamlyn in the letter. "I am aware of the extra work entailed in filling this vacancy for which I am grateful to you all. I look forward to continuing to serve our community in this new role."
Under the municipal act, when a council vacancy occurs, the municipality can choose to either fill the vacancy by appointing a person who has consented to accept the office if appointed or holding a byelection to fill the vacancy within 60 days of the vacancy declaration.
A report on the vacancy recommends council direct staff to appoint a new councillor by a call for applications and that the clerk bring a report to council on Oct. 8 outlining specific procedures for implementing the council's chosen strategy.
Staff said appointment by a call for applications is optimal because it may entice more applications than the standard election process, a less than 60-day campaign period may be "more appealing to prospective political newcomers" and the traditional formal election process could be considered a "large commitment" for a short two-year term.
While a "slightly more expensive process" than a direct appointment, staff said a call for applications is approximately $20,000 cheaper than a byelection and would result in an early filling of the vacancy on Nov. 26.
If a byelection occurs, staff said while "the most democratic option," it is "not practically sustainable" if additional vacancies occurred and would take approximately four months to swear in the new councillor.
Another option is council could recruit and appoint a previous council member because they are "fully trained, experienced, respected, known and they have 'stepped away' from municipal politics as opposed to being defeated at the polls" and would allow for a "quick, smooth transition and continuation of council's immediate business, including the budgeting process."
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program
