Municipal administrators in Wellington County favour increasing nomination fees for candidates and reducing the campaign period for local elections.
The province is currently conducting a public consultation as part of a review of the Municipal Elections Act.
At a meeting of Wellington County clerks and treasurers in Mapleton on June 24, the group created a list of reforms that has been sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for consideration.
The requested reforms, submitted in a letter by Wellington North clerk Karren Wallace on behalf of the group, include:
– elimination of refunds on nomination fees for candidates, due to the amount of paperwork required to process nominations;
– an increase in the nomination fee, currently $200 for council heads and $100 for all other positions (refundable if a candidate withdraws, is elected, or receives more than two per cent of the votes cast for the office);
– a shorter campaign period (maximum six months or less); and
– removal of a requirement that council pass a bylaw for alternative voting methods regarding set times and locations for advance votes.
“By having incumbent councillors pass bylaws with respect to the way an election should be conducted does seem to give an unfair advantage to the incumbent. Additionally, it is the clerk who is to conduct the election – councils are to be at arm’s length,” the letter states.
The letter also points out no other campaigns run for a 10-month period.
“Both the federal and provincial elections run in terms of weeks, not months.”
