Kingsville council avoids byelection

Kingsville council has opted to fill the vacancy on council in the most cost-effective way. By a 4-2 vote, council opted to approach unsuccessful candidates from the previous election to fill a void left by the August resignation of Sandra McIntyre, who quit for personal reasons. The leading vote-getter in the 2014 municipal elections who isn’t on council is John Driedger. “We’ll approach him and see if he’s interested,” Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos said. “If he’s agreeable, at the next meeting we’d swear him in and adopt a bylaw.” Driedger was in the audience for Monday’s council meeting. Holding a byelection to fill the council seat would cost an estimated $55,000. Santos noted the winner would have only an eight-month term before the 2018 municipal election was called. The two councillors who voted against this approach — Tony Gaffan and Susanne Coghill — preferred that a candidates be appointed to council.