Nominations open for new councillor

One candidate in the running so far.

The nomination period is officially open to become the new councillor in West Nipissing. After Ward 8 (Lavigne) councillor, Jérôme Courchesne resigned last week, council has started the process to fill his seat.

The pre-requisites for the position are pretty simple. Any Canadian citizen over the age of 18 who is a resident of West Nipissing or an owner or tenant in the municipality can apply.

Along with an application form, candidates must also collect and submit at least 25 endorsements from eligible West Nipissing voters (from any ward).

On May 15th, council will hold a special meeting where they will interview the interested candidates and vote on behalf of the public to choose who should be appointed.

Early in the race, one resident has announced his intention to apply. After receiving many early public endorsements, Lavigne farmer, Dave Lewington announced on social media on Wednesday that he had received the blessing of his family to seek the position. Lewington is 46 and has operated a cattle farm in Lavigne for 20 years.

Lewington is not new to the political scene in West Nipissing. He finished a close second in the 2022 mayoral race, getting 30% of the votes despite spending only a fraction compared to his opponents.

Lewington is likely the early favourite for this position considering the election results of 2022. In 2022, Courchesne ran unopposed however Lavigne residents still had to vote for a mayoral candidate.

In that race, Lewington garnered 45% of the votes compared to the winner, Thorne-Rochon who got 41%. In neighbouring Ward 7 (Verner), Lewington got 52% of the votes compared to 33% for Thorne-Rochon.

As of today, no other candidates have publicly announced their intentions to run.

Applications close on May 9th.

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