With two local councillors vying for a spot in the provincial government, a municipal council seat could be left vacant.
Chatham-Kent Ward 6 Councillor Brock McGregor and Leamington Councillor Trevor Jones are both campaigning in the upcoming provincial election in the riding of Chatham-Kent-Leamington.
If one of the councillors is elected on June 2 to represent the riding in provincial parliament, neither municipality will be able to fill the vacant seat on council.
According to Section 65(2) of the Municipal Election Act, a by-election to fill a council seat cannot be held after March 31 in the year of a regular municipal election.
The vacant seat wouldn’t remain empty for long though, with the municipal election scheduled to take place on October 24, 2022.
McGregor, who is running for the NDP, and Jones, who is representing the PC Party, are running against Liberal candidate Audrey Festeryga, Green Party candidate Jennifer Surerus, New Blue Party candidate Rhonda Jubenville, and incumbent MPP Rick Nicholls who is running for the Ontario Party.