Four options for Elliot Lake council to select a new mayor

Councillors in Elliot Lake will have four options when they meet Monday night to decide who will become the city’s new mayor.

Council has to enact a new bylaw with their decision by Feb. 13.

The first option is nominating someone from the current council to fill the role permanently.

While the option comes at no cost to the city, interim Mayor Dr. Andrew Wannan is Elliot Lake’s veterinarian and it’s unclear if he wants the role.

Option 2 involves putting the nominations out for qualified individuals to be appointed to the role, but this would also involve an application period.

Option 3 would be going back to the 2022 municipal election results and appointing one of the candidates who didn’t win.

A court has dismissed an appeal filed by Elliot Lake's Chris Patrie, who wanted to overturn a lower court decision that saw him removed from the mayor's office earlier this year. (Supplied/City of Elliot Lake/File photo)

If it’s former Mayor Dan Marchisella, it’s unclear as to whether he’d even want the job and if he’s still interested in politics two years later.

Option 4 would be holding a byelection but staff wouldn’t be looking at a date until the end of May. It would also come at a cost of almost $60,000 to taxpayers.

If a byelection were to be held, the new mayor wouldn’t take the oath of office until June 10.

The man who won the election, Chris Patrie, was barred from serving because he violated conflict of interest laws before the 2022 vote.

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Patrie’s appeal was dismissed last month. The current term of council ends on Nov. 14, 2026.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of council isn’t until Feb. 12, but council also has the option to call a special meeting.