Todd Hamilton and Ken Perry, who both ran unsuccessfully in last November’s municipal election, have filed their nomination papers to run for the vacant seat on council in the Jan. 14 byelection.
Perry, who last month declared his intention to run in the byelection, filed his papers Wednesday while Hamilton, a former councillor, did so just before noon yesterday.
“I enjoyed my time on council last term and I was disappointed I didn’t get in again,” Hamilton said this morning when asked why he was running.
“I see this council has made a decision, and for me it’s an opportunity to get back and do what I enjoy doing and serve the community in another way,” he added.
Hamilton said he will be running a campaign this time around, admitting that not doing so didn’t help him at the polls last November.
“I was pretty focused on my job as a councillor and my feeling was that was my job at the time,” he explained. “I really kind of looked at campaigning as more of a federal and provincial issue for people being elected to one position.
“However, I think it’s an important aspect of getting re-elected—you have to tell the people you want to be there, which I do. And you have to tell people a little about yourself because not everybody knows who you are,” Hamilton added.
Perry refused to comment to the Times.
Perry was seventh with 1,593 votes last November, followed by Hamilton (1,552), Al Bedard (1,389), Nick Wihnan (1,355), and Neil Kabel (1,285).
A person may put their name forward to run for council by filing a nomination form with the clerk’s office in person or by an agent up until Thursday, Nov. 30.
There is a $100 fee.
The term of office is the remainder of the four-year term of the current council, which ends Nov. 30, 2010.
The byelection is being held to fill the vacancy left by Tannis Drysdale, who resigned from council back in September.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
