deputy mayor to lead kingston city council during federal election
if needed, a byelection would be needed to find a new mayor for the remainder of the council term
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kingston city council is to be led by the deputy mayor in the coming weeks.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
kingston — one candidate described federal election in kingston and the islands as a “a mayoral battle.”
a while the candidates from the two biggest parties vying to form government spent time in the mayor’s chair at city hall, both liberal mark gerretsen and conservative bryan paterson downplayed that aspect of the campaign.
“i’d love to see bryan paterson continue to be the mayor,” gerretsen joked last week ahead a sunday’s election call.
“i have nothing against bryan paterson. it’s nothing personal toward him. we had a great chat in january when he decided that he wanted to do this. i totally respect that, although i fundamentally disagree with the political party that he chooses to be part of.”
“i think people will attach, you know, whatever narrative to the campaign that they they think is the right one,” paterson added.
paterson spent the days leading up to the election call making the transition from the mayor’s office to the federal campaign trail.
as he said when he launched his nomination campaign, paterson took a leave of absence from the mayor’s position to run in the federal election.
according to the municipal act, if paterson wins the election the mayor’s position would be declared vacant and a byelection would be held.
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if the mayor’s position is declared vacant after march 31 in the year when a municipal election is scheduled, a byelection would not be needed. the next municipal election is scheduled for october 2026.
in paterson’s absence, the position of mayor is to be filled by the deputy mayor, a role that rotates among the other 12 city council members for two-month terms.
meadowbrook-strathcona dist. coun. jeff mclaren is the deputy mayor until the end of march.
mclaren is to be succeeded by sydenham dist. coun. conny glenn in april and may, then williamsville dist. coun. vincent cinanni in june and july, and loyalist-cataraqui dist. coun. paul chaves in august and september.
elferguson@postmedia.com
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