Essex Councillor Calls For Mayor's Resignation

Essex Mayor Ron McDermott won't be stepping down from his position after being called on to resign by Councillor Randy Voakes in an at-times tense and heated meeting on Monday night.

The Ward 1 representative made the public appeal at council's regular gathering.

"The leadership at the top is missing some value to it. That needs to be reassessed and reconsidered," says Voakes.

McDermott didn't hold back in telling reporters what he thought of Voakes and the suggestion he should step down.

"He's a joke," says McDermott. "You people [reporters] cover all of these meetings. Every other week, how many times out of ten do we have a problem with him? Seven? Maybe only six, maybe eight."

Voakes made the call for the mayor to resign after being ejected from the June 20 meeting by McDermott for what the mayor describes as failing to follow protocol. The mayor felt Voakes wasn't properly going through the chair in speaking to a delegation at the meeting two weeks ago.

Essex Councillor Randy Voakes leaves the regular meeting of council on June 20, 2016 after being ejected by Mayor Ron McDermott. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)

Voakes says council is broken and seemingly blamed the mayor's daughter, Pam McDermott, as she was listening in on the councillor's comments to reporters.

"It's extremely broken, there's no doubt about that," says Voakes. "It's broken because of, as you see standing behind me during this interview [gesturing towards Pam McDermott], that's what breaks it right there."

McDermott agrees with Voakes in that council is broken — but isn't blaming his daughter.

"Sure, it has been for 12 and a half years," says McDermott. "You've got one bad apple on it. Nobody wants to argue with him that's why it's always the chair."

McDermott says Voakes has been a problem councillor during his time as mayor — levelling strong words against his council colleague.

"Like the guy is, putting it mildly, he's probably a loser," says McDermott. "It's pretty low, pretty bad for the mayor to call a council member a loser eh? Well, guess what? I've said ever since I met this guy — which is probably 13 and a half years ago — he respects no one and nothing; that's that man's problem."

There are two years left in council's term.

"I've always had a willingness to work with Mayor Ron McDermott," says Voakes. "The truth is he hasn't had a willingness to work with me and then there's been family intervention."

McDermott says he'll continue dealing with Voakes as he has been adding he treats him "the same as I treat everybody else in those chambers."

The council meeting on Monday night marked the first meeting attended by newly appointed CAO Tracey Pillon-Abbs.

Council next meets at its regular meeting on July 18.