City sets byelection date for Ward 7 councillor

A byelection date has been set to fill the vacant Ward 7 seat that Irek Kusmierczyk left when he became MP for Windsor-Tecumseh.

Initially, the byelection had been scheduled for April 27 but had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. In a press release Wednesday, the city said as the region moves forward into Stage 3, a new election date has been set for Oct. 5, with advanced voting held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. 

"Our primary concern is the safety of residents, voters in Ward 7, candidates and election workers," city clerk Valerie Critchley said in a news release. 

"It takes a large team of people and a large amount of co-ordination to put any election together, and one with COVID-19 considerations makes it even more difficult, but over the coming weeks we will ensure all necessary precautions and protocols are put in place and communicated to the community."

Voting will be held in person at the WFCU Centre with "special pandemic protocols," according to the city.

The April byelection was expected to cost the city $120,000. It's not clear how much the rescheduled byelection will cost with added precautions for the pandemic. 

Since the nomination period ended March 13, no new candidates will be considered. 

There are currently 12 candidates vying for the role.