The count of individuals who have put their names up for the vacant Town of Fort Frances council seat has increased to five as of 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, with one week to go until the closing date for potential candidates.
The nomination period for the vacancy began on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, after town council elected to undergo an appointment process to fill the seat vacated by Mandi Olson in October.
The candidates for the position so far, and the date upon which they submitted their application, are:
- Kevin John Douse – November 18, 2024
- David Egan Sr. – November 19, 2024
- Douglas D. Brown – November 26, 2024
- William Morrison Jr. – November 28, 2024
- Robert Animikii Horton – December 2, 2024
Those interested in running for the council seat are required to complete an application package with a personal statement and schedule an appointment with the Clerk’s Office to complete their submission.
The period for candidates to submit their names for consideration will run until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
A Special Council Meeting will be held on December 17, 2024, to decide on the town’s newest councillor. As there are now multiple names in the running for the vacant seat, the meeting will allow for each candidate to make a five minute presentation to council. Candidates will be sequestered during the meeting while presentations are made save for the one actively making their presentation to council. Each candidate will also have been provided a pre-determined list of questions from council, and they will have two minutes to respond to each question.
Once all candidates have addressed council, and because there is more than one name in the running, council will decide the outcome by way of a public vote. All candidates will be invited back into the council chambers for the voting process.
According to the clerk’s procedure document, councillors will mark their vote on a ballot, read out their vote to verbally cast it, and then pass the ballot to the clerk. The town will record the votes and display on a screen how each member has voted.
If one candidate gets more than one half of the total number of votes from council, the Town Clerk will declare that candidate elected. Rounds of voting will continue until a candidate has received more than one half of the votes of council.
If a round ends with no one candidate receiving the necessary number of votes, the one with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated and another round of voting will commence. If any candidate receives no votes during a round, they are automatically excluded from the slate of candidates in the next round, meaning their run has ended.
There are special rules for breaking ties during this process. The clerk’s procedures say that in the event candidates tie for the fewest number of votes in a round, the clerk will draw all but one of the tied names from a container, with those names that get pulled continuing on to the next round.
In the event of a round ending with all candidates receiving the same number of votes, if there are three or more candidates remaining, the clerk will draw all but one name from a container to continue onwards in subsequent rounds of voting, with the remaining name being eliminated. If only two candidates remain and are tied, the clerk will break the tie by pulling the name of the successful candidate from a container. The candidate whose name is pulled by the clerk in that scenario will be declared elected.
A resolution and by-law confirming the newest councillor will be prepared and submitted to council for enactment following the meeting.
