Tara Jeffrey
Voters in St. Clair Township should expect their mail-in ballots to arrive soon, ahead of the Oct. 22 municipal election.
“We are currently mailing the ballots out on the 24th, but with the potential of a Canada Post strike, we have requested that date be moved up,” said clerk and deputy CAO Jeff Baranek, pointing to some 11,600 eligible voters in the township, which is divided into Wards 1 (former Moore township) and 2 (former Sombra Township).
Residents will elect a mayor, deputy mayor, council and local school board trustees.
This marks the fourth municipal election involving mail-out ballots in St. Clair (to confirm you’re on the voter list, call 1-866-296-6722 or visit voterlookup.ca).
Two ‘meet the candidates’ evenings are slated for Sept. 13 at the Courtright Community Hall, and Sept. 19 at the Port Lambton Community Hall, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Four mayoral candidates are in the running, including incumbent Steve Arnold — who is seeking his fourth term — and Jeff Agar, who has held his current position as Ward 1 councillor for the past 12 years.
Also in the race are Brian Everaert — a Wilkesport-area resident who ran as the Trillium Party candidate for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex in the provincial election in June — and Ed Linton, a construction boilermaker from Courtright.
Current deputy mayor Peter Gilliland is running for re-election for that same position, against current Ward 2 councillor Steve Miller.
WARD 1, the five candidates vying for three seats are:
Jim Degurse (incumbent)
Michelle Kelly-Maitland
Neil Fulkerson
Pat Brown
Tracy Kingston (incumbent)
WARD 2, the three candidates vying for two seats are:
Bill Myers
Robin Donahue-Parsons
Rose Atkins
Voters will also elect one School Board Trustee in each of the following categories:
South Lambton East Kent Separate School Board:
Carol Bryden
Patricia Pook
French Language Public School Board:
Pierre Lambert
Genevieve Smith
French Language Separate School Board:
Sylvie C. Chmielewski
Louis Guimon
Emilie Sylvain-Lindsay
Central Lambton Public School Board:
Greg Agar (acclaimed)