The third place candidate from the 2022 municipal election in Chatham-Kent will be replacing the outgoing councillor in Ward 3.
On Monday night, council officially declared Steve Pinsonneault's East Kent seat vacant and then voted 11-4 to ask Moréna McDonald to fill the vacancy.
McDonald is set to be sworn-in at the next council meeting on May 27, 2024.
McDonald has already told CK News Today she will accept the position.
Council was told the majority of Ward 3 residents wanted a by-election because they considered an appointment undemocratic.
Ward 3 Councillor John Wright made an unsuccessful motion for a by-election, saying this process of appointment has turned into a popularity contest.
"It's getting to be a popularity contest to appoint someone instead of having an election. If we wanted to have somebody come in on popularity we should have East Kent voters decide that," said Wright.
Wright's motion failed by a vote of 5-10.
Ward 2 Councillor Ryan Doyle said a by-election would be more fair by allowing others to run.
Chatham-Kent Director of Municipal Governance Judy Smith noted appointments are a common practice used across Ontario to fill a vacant seat on municipal councils.
Ward 6 Councilor Brock McGregor told his colleagues that appointing the next councillor is the most democratic way to proceed.
"The most democratic way to approach this is to respect the results of the 2022 election and in that election there was a third place finisher very close to the second place finisher," McGregor said.
A by-election would have cost approximately $75,000 and it would have taken an estimated 75-90 days to hold it.
Three delegations, including the Kent Federation of Agriculture, also made pitches for a by-election.
