There are 21 Londoners vying to fill the Ward 6 council vacancy
Rebecca Zandbergen | CBC News | Posted: November 10, 2021 6:06 PM | Last Updated: November 10, 2021
City councillors will begin discussing Phil Squire's replacement starting next week
London city councillors will decide next week who will replace former councillor Phil Squire and they have more than two dozen people vying for the job.
After Squire abruptly left his Ward 6 council seat last month, city council decided to fill the position through an application process. The deadline to submit letters of interest was on Tuesday.
Twenty-one people had put their names forward when the final list of applicants was released Wednesday.
Some of the names will be familiar to Londoners, including former school board trustee Matthew Reid and former councillor Nancy Branscombe.
Most of the applicants however, were looking to enter politics for the first time. The complete list of applicants can be found here.
The decision to fill the seat this way was surprising, given council chose a different process to fill the vacant Ward 13 seat, left by the now Liberal MP, Arielle Kayabaga.
That position was filled by the runner-up in the 2018 municipal election.
The decision for Ward 6 councillor rests with the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee that meets on Nov. 15. Council will approve their choice.
Ahead of the complete list being released, CBC London Morning spoke to some of the Ward 6 hopefuls who had made their intentions public.
Mariam Hamou
- 30-year resident of Ward 6
- London Public Library Board Member
- Plans to focus on the budget and repairing relationship between ward and university
- Intends on running in the next municipal election
"I need to stay accountable to the people of Ward 6," said Hamou about her plans to run in 2022. "I think it would be a referendum based on my performance and and leadership at that point."
Mike Bloxam
- Ward 6 runner-up in the 2018 municipal election
- Also ran in the 2014 election, finished third
- Focused on sustainable decision making
- Stresses that Ward 6 is more than just Old North
- Does not plan to run in the 2022 election
"My dedication to the ward is is there," said Bloxam. "I've invested a lot of time, energy and money in those campaigns, and I know the ward and its key issues, so I'm passionate about serving our city and giving back whenever possible."
Nancy Branscombe
- Former Ward 6 councillor
- Also ran for provincial politics
- Says the first order of business is the budget
- Does not plan on running in the 2022 election
'"I spent eight years as the ward representative and I believe it's really a civic duty," said Branscombe. "As a constituent of Ward 6, I just want to make sure that they have strong and experienced representation for the last 11 months of the term."
Lincoln McCardle
- Long-time Bell Canada employee
- Does not plan in running in the next municipal election
- Submitted his name because he was worried no one else would
"In the absence of not knowing who else was running I thought I've at least got to submit my name," said McCardle. "If Mike is in there or other former councillors, I think quite frankly I think they would probably do a better job than I would."