44 candidates apply to fill vacant Region of Waterloo council seat
Current members of council to vote for replacement during special meeting Aug. 14
There are 44 people who want to be the next Region of Waterloo councillor.
A Kitchener seat on regional council is vacant following the death of Coun. Kari Williams in April. In May, regional councillors voted to fill the seat by calling for applications.
The deadline to apply was Friday and as of Tuesday morning, the list on the region's website reflected the 44 candidates. A final list, along with personal statements for each candidate, will be released on Wednesday.
People can be from anywhere in the region to fill the Kitchener seat. Here is the breakdown of where the candidates are from:
- 26 are from Kitchener.
- 11 are from Waterloo.
- Five are from Cambridge.
- One is from Wilmot Township.
- One is from Wellesley Township.
A special council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 14 where each applicant will get five minutes to present to council and explain why they want the job.
During that same meeting, the current members of council will vote on who will fill the seat.
Once chosen, the new councillor will take the oath of office on Aug. 15 and then prepare for their first council meeting on Aug. 27.
This isn't the first time this year council has had to fill a vacant seat. In March, they studied their options on how to replace former councillor Rob Deutschmann who resigned his seat to run as the candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Cambridge.
Regional councillors voted to appoint Matt Rodrigues to the seat.
The new councillor will serve for a little over a year. The next municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26, 2026.