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Ramara Township council appoints Joe Gough deputy mayor

Failed deputy mayor candidate called process 'pretty troublesome,' adding: 'I don’t think the people asked for that nonsense'
2018-10-23 RamaraElections8.jpg
Joe Gough is shown on election night in 2018. He was recently appointed deputy mayor in Ramara Township. Mehreen Shahid/OrilliaMatters file photo

Ramara Township has appointed a new deputy mayor.

During a recent virtual meeting, council opted to appoint rather than hold a byelection or invite the runner-up from the 2018 election to fill the seat that was left vacant when John O’Donnell died March 25.

Council voted 4-2 to fill the seat by appointing an existing member of council. Councillors Gary Hetherington and Ted Lamb voted against, as they did when it came to vote on the motion to appoint Ward 2 Coun. Joe Gough as deputy mayor.

The report stated council had the options to appoint “a qualified person who has consented to fill the office” — it could be a member of the current council or the second-place candidate in the 2018 election — to appoint by application from residents, or to hold a byelection.

“I’m in full favour of going to the public for an election,” Lamb said.

Hetherington said he would have preferred a byelection. However, with the state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be months before that would happen, so he said he was in favour of accepting applications from residents.

Coun. David Snutch supported the appointment of Gough, saying, “I don’t think the taxpayers need to incur the expense of an election right now.”

Gough, the only one to put his name forward for consideration, agreed.

“I’m not in favour of having an election. I think that’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said. “We’re supposed to be making the hard decisions that need to be happening in the township, so I think we should appoint.”

He later told OrilliaMatters he was excited to take on the new role.

“It’s been a position that I’ve always wanted to achieve,” he said, adding he had intended to run for deputy mayor in the next election.

Gough was elected to council in 2018. He has been filling in for O’Donnell as the township’s Simcoe County council alternate representative since January.

“I’ve grown some good relationships with other members of county council,” he said, noting that experience is important. “I’m still new, too, yes, but I’ve been acting as deputy mayor since January.”

Council’s decision to appoint an existing member is not sitting well with some residents, including Mike Douglas, who said the vote seemed “staged.”

He felt a byelection should have been given more consideration, or at least that council would have reached out to already-vetted candidates from the 2018 election.

“Why wasn’t Marg Sharpe considered? She was within 14 votes of defeating the mayor,” he said of the councillor who ran against Mayor Basil Clarke.

Referring to the option in the report to appoint the runner-up in the 2018 deputy mayor race, Douglas said, “If you’re going to follow some kind of democratic process … why wouldn’t you?”

Maurice McMillan, O’Donnell’s only challenger for deputy mayor in 2018, said he likely would have accepted an appointment if it had been offered.

“They should have had a discussion with me about it,” he said. “Due diligence was not done.”

He called the recent vote on the matter “pretty troublesome.”

“I don’t think the people asked for that nonsense.”

One of the concerns raised by Douglas was the fact Gough is the mayor’s brother-in-law.

Gough acknowledged there might be some “backlash” about that, but he assured he would make decisions that were in the best interest of the township, regardless of how Clarke votes on matters.

“I’ve probably voted against Basil more than with him,” he said. “I shouldn’t be penalized because I fell in love with his sister.”

Clarke felt the same and said there was “no conflict” in the matter, including his taking part in the vote to appoint Gough.

“There is no conflict. That’s clearly spelled out in the Municipal Act and the Conflict of Interest Act,” he said.

Douglas said he was upset “the people in Ramara Township weren’t even given an opportunity to have a say in this matter.”

Clarke disagreed.

“Mike was free to do a deputation prior to the decision being made,” he said.

Gough, meanwhile, is looking forward to his time as deputy mayor and said he is appreciative of the work O’Donnell did in that position.

“I know I have pretty big shoes to fill. It’s going to be tough, but I’m up for the challenge,” he said.

Applications are open for those wanting to be considered for the position of Ward 2 councillor, left vacated by Gough's appointment to the deputy-mayor position. They can contact the township for more information.

The candidate will be selected at a special council meeting Aug. 17 and will be sworn in Aug. 24.

Criteria for applicants includes the following, taken from a staff report:

Any individual filling a vacancy must meet the eligibility requirements of office as outlined in the Act and the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, and fulfill all of the following requirements:

  • Eighteen (18) years of age of older; and
  • A Canadian citizen; and
  • A resident of the Township of Ramara, or an owner or tenant of land in the municipality or the spouse of such an owner or tenant; and
  • Not prohibited from voting under any other Act or disqualified from holding municipal office; and
  • Able to provide at least 25 original signatures from individuals eligible to vote in the Township of Ramara on the day they signed the endorsement.

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Nathan Taylor

About the Author: Nathan Taylor

Nathan Taylor is the desk editor for Village Media's central Ontario news desk in Simcoe County and Newmarket.
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