The Town of Oakville is looking to appoint a qualified candidate to fill the Ward 4 seat for the position of Town Councillor. It was left vacant following the recent resignation of former Councillor Roger Lapworth.
Councillor Lapworth announced his resignation for personal reasons on March 29, 2018. Lapworth had served as Town Councillor for Ward 4 since 2006.
Council officially declared the Ward 4 seat vacant at its meeting on April 3, 2018, and under the Municipal Act, an appointment to fill the vacancy must be made within 60 days of declaring the seat to be vacant. The town’s procedure for filling vacancies on Town Council notes that between January 1 of a regular election year and 90 days prior to voting day, the vacant position will be filled by appointment only.
To apply for the role, an applicant must be a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older and legally permitted to vote and hold municipal office. Candidates must live, own or rent property in the Town of Oakville or be the spouse of an owner or renter.
The town will provide an information session as part of its "So you want to run for Council" session taking place at Town Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18. This session will also be made available online at elections.oakville.ca.
Nomination packages will be available at the Clerk’s office in Town Hall and online at elections.oakville.ca beginning on April 6, 2018. Applicants will be required to submit 25 declarations of endorsement with their nomination forms.
Applications will be accepted beginning April 13, 2018 until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 27, 2018. A special meeting of Council will take place on Monday, May 7 in the Town Hall Council Chamber to give each applicant 5 minutes to explain why he or she is the best candidate for the position. Council will then vote to appoint the successful candidate to fill the vacancy.