Byelection to replace Joe Cimino to be held in next 6 months

Sudbury voters will be choosing a new MPP in the new year, following the surprise resignation of Joe Cimino yesterday.

The 45-year-old New Democrat was elected in June and is now stepping aside, for health and family reasons.

Provincial law requires a by-election to be called sometime in the next six months.

That means a seat the NDP just captured — after being held by the Liberals for 18 years — will soon be up for grabs.

But France Gelinas, the New Democrat MPP for Nickel Belt, said she believes Cimino's time in office will make it easier to hold on to Sudbury.

"People got to have a taste of what it means to have an NDP MPP,” she said.

“They saw how hard he worked. They saw how he was able to bring their issues forward."

Cimino defeated Liberal Andrew Olivier by less than 1,000 votes in the election this past June.

Olivier couldn't be reached for comment yesterday, but did say in the summer, that he was putting politics aside to focus on his career and the community.

Cimino , who is currently not giving any interviews, spoke in very similar terms to the CBC last year, on his decision to enter provincial politics.

"I'm in a place where my life is balanced, so it was difficult to leave that [for the provincial arena]."

Former Nickel Belt MP John Rodriguez was under similar circumstances to Cimino's at one time. He was elected when he had a young family, who only got to see him on weekends. 

"And then when you're home, your time is really not your own, because you have constituency responsibilities and party responsibilities."

The top responsibility for NDPers in Sudbury is now to hold on to the seat in a byelection, which must be called in the next six months.