Regional councillors will explore the options for filling Rob Deutschmann’s vacant seat at a special meeting on Tuesday.
Deutschmann, who represented Kitchener on regional council, resigned in January to focus on running for the provincial Liberals in Cambridge. He came second to Ontario PC incumbent Brian Riddell in Thursday’s election.
A staff report outlines the options Region of Waterloo councillors can choose from: they can appoint a replacement, or call for a by-election.
The report notes that the options come with various timelines and costs, ranging from zero dollars to $800,000.
If council opts to appoint someone to fill the seat, there are three different ways that could be done.
The first is to appoint the first runner-up from the 2022 municipal election: Matt Rodrigues, who received 9,714 votes or 9.7 per cent. The staff report notes Rodrigues says he is eligible and willing to take on the role should council take this route.
Appointing the runner-up is what regional councillors decided to do in 2015, when Elizabeth Clarke took over the seat that became vacant after the death of councillor Wayne Wettlaufer.
The staff report notes that this method would fill the vacancy most quickly, and Rodrigues could be sworn in as early as March 20, 2025.
Another option is for council to put out a call for applicants who are interested in the role, who can then present their case to council at a special meeting on March 26. Council would then select the person to fill the position.
This option comes at an estimated cost of $5,000 which would be covered by the election reserve.
Finally, council could approve a process that would allow councillors to bring forward nominations for any eligible person, and one of them would be chosen and offered the role.
The staff report notes that this option allows for council to prioritize certain considerations if they wish to, like selecting someone who doesn’t intend to run in the next election, or getting a diverse voice on council, or choosing someone who can get up to speed quickly.
In this scenario, councillors would nominate people at a meeting on March 19 and finalize the appointment on March 26.
Alternatively, council can fill the vacancy through a by-election.
The staff report notes that this is the most expensive option and takes the most time.
It’s estimated the cost for a by-election in Kitchener would be $800,000, an unbudgeted expense that would have to be covered by the tax stabilization reserve.
Should council choose this route, the by-election would take place sometime in June 2025.
The municipality of Halton Hills is also addressing a council vacancy, after Joseph Racinsky was elected as MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills.
Racinsky kept the seat for the Ontario PC party after long time MPP Ted Arnott decided not to run again.
A report going to Halton Hills councillors for discussion on Monday outlines how they can either appoint a replacement, or call for a by-election.
Staff there estimate a by-election would cost $45,000, which would come from the tax stabilization reserve.
