Black River-Matheson councillor resigning
Keith Neal, the Ward 2 councillor for the Township of Black River-Matheson, is leaving the town council table – his resignation is on the agenda for the Feb. 27 town council meeting.
Black River-Matheson Ward 2 councillor Keith Neal. (Supplied/Township of Black River-Matheson)"Thank you for allowing me to participate alongside you all,” Neal wrote in his resignation letter.
“I am retiring this year and moving, and feel best to have someone new come in and have time to get up to speed before the fall.”
The full agenda for the council meeting can be found here.
Neal is the third councillor to resign this term.
Dan DeMarchi of Ward 4 resigned about three months after he was acclaimed for his second term in 2022 following the tax increase decided by council last year.
Kim Druer also stepped down from her role as councillor of Ward 6 last year after stating she didn't like the way things were going in the township and that council was too divided.
Township staff is suggesting that town council use an application process to fill the new vacancy – the same process that was used last year by the town.
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The three options to fill a vacant council seat under the Municipal Act are to hold a byelection, to appoint a candidate who ran in the ward in the 2022 vote or council can simply appoint someone of their choosing.
In the 2022 municipal election in Matheson, Ward 3 was the only area that had a race while all other positions were acclaimed.
A welcome sign for the Township of Black River-Matheson. (Facebook/Township of Black River-Matheson)
Correction
The original article above incorrectly stated Keith Neal was the second town councillor to resign in Black River-Matheson this term, when he was the third. Dan DeMarchi was the first councillor in the town to resign.
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