While the appointment is not yet official, a committee has recommended Mary Lloyd fill the vacant Ward 5 county council seat.
The warden’s advisory committee made the recommendation on March 12 following interviews with nine candidates who applied for the position, which was vacated last month when Rob Black was appointed to the Senate of Canada.
Lloyd’s appointment will be considered by county council on March 29.
In a social media post reacting to the News, Lloyd stated she is “very humbled and excited to have been recommended for this position.”
Lloyd’s appointment to county council means she will have to vacate her Ward 3 Centre Wellington council seat, which she has held since 2010.
In an interview on March 12, Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton confirmed Lloyd will remain a township councillor for the remaining meetings in March.
After that, Linton said, Centre Wellington will have to follow a public process, similar to the one the county just completed, to find a new councillor for Ward 3.
Linton said Lloyd’s application for the county council seat did come as a bit of a surprise to him when he heard about it late last week.
The mayor, who does not sit on the warden’s advisory committee and was not involved in the selection process, found out about the recommendation to appoint Lloyd on Monday.
“She’ll do great in the role,” Linton said. “She’s always been a great township councillor so the transition to the county will be a smooth one I’m sure.”
As for what’s next, Linton explained Lloyd first has to be officially appointed by the county on March 29.
“After that she would have to resign her council position,” said Linton, noting the township will be able to decide on how to replace Lloyd in April.
“Our council will have to okay the process, but the clerk will lay out what our options are … There is a pretty strict process in place.”
The list of certified candidates who applied to fill the county council position included: Wayne Baker, Robert Foster, Mary Lloyd, Jake H. Bouwman, Allan Hons, Angela Berriman, V.P. (Vince) Mayne, Katherine Brasch and Kyle Coffey. One applicant, Diane Ballantyne, withdrew her application three days after submitting it on March 6.
After Black resigned, county council decided to fill the vacancy by appointment, rather than an election, as provided for in the Municipal Act.
The term of the open position will be from the anticipated appointment on March 29 to the end of the council term on Nov. 30.
