Tie vote for new Guelph councillor broken by drawing a name

Katherine Hauser is Guelph's new Ward 6 councillor.

She was chosen during a special council meeting on Wednesday night from a list of 26 possible candidates. Councillors voted to choose the person to fill the seat left vacant when Dominique O'Rourke stepped down to become the city's MP, and were able to narrow it down to two candidates.

After a 6-6 tie, Hauser and Rebecca Adam's names were put into a box and the winning name was drawn out.

In the statement sent to council ahead of the meeting, Hauser said she and her late husband owned two downtown businesses, Doogie's and Pablo's, until 2012 and they've been involved in the downtown area for years. As well, her children, now grown, were involved in various activities including soccer, baseball, football, theatre and dance.

She is currently the trustee for Puslinch and Guelph's Ward 6 for the Upper Grand District School Board and she works at the University of Guelph's library.

"I have lived in Guelph since I was 16 years old. My ties to this city run deep," Hauser wrote.

"I take the city bus to work and walk home every day. I understand the realities of working families, renters, and those balancing financial responsibilities," she added,

"In every space I occupy — whether it is the school board, the university boardroom, or a union meeting — I bring the same core values: collaboration, community connection, and a commitment to equity and responsible governance."

On May 27, council voted to fill the empty seat through an open call for nominees. Council also could have opted to hold a byelection or go with a previous runner up from the 2022 municipal election.

Nominations were open between June 9 and July 7. In order to put their name forward, a person needed to be a resident of Guelph or own or rent property in the city, be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old and not be prohibited from voting or holding municipal office.

Now that Hauser has been chosen, she will spend the next month and a bit going through orientation with city staff ahead of her first committee of the whole meeting scheduled for Sept. 3.

Hauser will serve in the role for a little over a year. The next municipal election is scheduled for October 26, 2026.