Essex Town Council has begun the process to fill its empty mayoral seat.
Councillors unanimously agreed Monday night to officially declare the mayor's position vacant, following the resignation last week of Mayor Larry Snively.
Now that the seat is officially vacant, council will meet in a special session on Monday, January 24, to decide how to fill it. Options include appointing someone to fill the seat and finish out Snively's term or holding a by-election.
Deputy Mayor Richard Meloche will chair council meetings until the mayoral seat is filled. Whoever fills it will serve until the current term expires in October.
Snively was elected mayor in the 2018 municipal election, following the retirement of longtime mayor Ron McDermott. However, it was soon revealed that Snively had violated the Ontario Municipal Elections Act by improperly procuring votes in that election. An investigation found that 32 proxy votes, filed on behalf of people with no legal right to vote in the last election, were filled out by Snively.
The former mayor, who had already decided not to run again this fall, pleaded guilty to the charges and was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine within 180 days of the ruling, though Snively would have been allowed to continue serving as mayor if he wished.
Councillor Sherry Bondy, who had called on Snively to resign, has already announced her intention to run for mayor in October.
---with files from Maureen Revait
