Thanking Councillor Allen for his work

As mayor, I want to take this opportunity to thank Councillor Allen for his dedication to representing the people and interests of Countryside District. He has become a strong voice at council and his leadership and ability to consider all sides of an issue will be missed.

In his time on council, Richard worked to raise the profile of rural businesses and advance Kingston priorities as a board member for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

Although we are sad to see Richard leave the Council horseshoe, we wish him well in his new position and his growing family.

In terms of next steps, I would like to see us move quickly to fill the vacancy and representation for Countryside. My number one priority is to have as little disruption to the residents of Countryside as possible.

I have consulted the City Clerk about the process for filling a vacancy on Kingston City Council. As a first step, I will be bringing a motion to council tomorrow evening to formally declare the Council seat for Countryside district as vacant. The motion will also request that city staff provide a report back to council on January 24^th outlining the process for filling a vacant seat, according to the Municipal Act.

Based on preliminary discussions with staff, I understand the Municipal Act provides three options for filling a vacant seat;

1. Fill the vacancy by appointing the individual who received the second highest number of votes for councilor of Countryside District in the 2014 municipal election.
2. Fill the vacancy by an appointment process, allowing any interested and qualified person to submit an application for appointment to council.
3. Fill the vacancy by holding a by-election in the Countryside District.

I look forward to receiving more information about these options from staff so that Council can make an informed decision and act quickly to fill the vacant seat.

In the interim, I invite residents in Countryside to contact my office directly with any issues or concerns until their new councillor is set in place. Residents can contact my office at mayor@cityofkingston.ca or 613-546-4291 ext. 1400.