Fyfe-Millar's Ward 13 appointment fractures city council as Ward 6 decision still looms
With a year to go in their term -- this may be irreparable.
City council’s deep political divide was on full display Tuesday as they battled over how best to fill a pair of recently vacated ward seats.
In the end one new councillor was appointed, and the other seat will be filled next month.
Two weeks ago, the Corporate Services committee recommended appointing the 2018 second place finisher in Ward 13, John Fyfe Millar.
“It’s not just the work he’s done on the Downtown London BIA, the Blackfriars Community Association, the Committee of Adjustment, Chamber of Commerce. He is deeply invested in the ward,” Ward 2’s Shawn Lewis told his council colleagues.
But several councillors called for a process that would consider more than one candidate.
Councillor Maureen Cassidy argued using ranked ballot results to justify choosing the 2018 runner-up was a ‘red herring’ and would give Fyfe-Millar an unearned incumbent’s advantage in October’s election.
“By appointing this individual who I understand intends to run in 2022, we are endorsing as a council the candidacy of that person,” she argued.
Other opponents of the appointment were even more blunt.
“I am saying in the strongest possible terms that this is the wrong way for Mr. Fyfe Millar to come onto council. If he wants to be elected to council, he can run again in 2022,” said Councillor Jesse Helmer who wanted to take a couple weeks to gather more applications.
“It is wrong what we are doing here tonight,” summed up Councillor Anna Hopkins.
Mayor Ed Holder, however, argued that choosing Fyfe-Millar reflected past voter sentiment better than other options.
“In the absence of a by-election, the committee’s recommendation provides a process that I think best respects the principles of democracy and accountability,” he told council.
Deputy Mayor Josh Morgan adding, “It is my hope that when we have new colleagues on this council, we spend time to find where our common ground is across all members of council.”
Council voted 7 to 6 to appoint John Fyfe-Millar as the councillor representing Ward 13 that includes Downtown London, SOHO, Historic Woodfield, and Blackfriars.
Filling the vacant Ward 6 seat will wait until November.
Council voted 12 to 1 to launch an open call for applications.
The contentious debate spilled over to social media with Councillor Helmer tweeting, “Appointing your buddy who finished second without considering anyone else is not about ranked ballots. It’s about power.”
The mayor tells CTV News that Fyfe-Millar is no buddy.
“I think that (tweet) trivializes the caliber of the individual why suggesting it was some kind of buddy arrangement,” said Holder.
JOHN FYFE-MILLAR INCOMING COUNCILLOR
Fyfe-Millar says he is looking past the bitter debate, “The vote is done. Now our opportunity is to work together and how we move forward together.”
The incoming councillor believes seeking re-election next year makes him accountable to voters.
“My intention is to be here for the residents for the long term, and committing to being here for the long term. That means committing to 2022 cause that makes me accountable to them now and tomorrow.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.