By-Election to Fill Barrie Ward Six Seat

Ward 6 Residents to Vote on Replacement for Outgoing Michael Prowse

It’s not too late to have a vote to replace Michael Prowse. Barrie’s council on Monday night declared the Ward Six council seat vacant, opting to fill that seat through a by-election instead of appointing a new councillor to ride out the remainder of this term. With a by-election, the swearing-in process won’t take place until October 23rd of this year. That leaves the newly-elected councillor a mere eight months in the job before the election process begins for the next term of council, and gives that person a leg up as an incumbent in the municipal election next year. While some councillors, including Khan and Prince, argued there wouldn’t be enough time for the winning candidate to be brought up to speed, others said a by-election was the democratic thing to do. Councillor McCann went so far as to call some around the table “arrogant” for suggesting they name an appointee. City staff recommended appointing a new councillor, while a motion from Councillor Mike McCann will see Ward 6 residents head to the polls. The final vote was 5-3 in favour of a by-election, with Councillor Barry Ward absent. Going the route of appointing a councillor would have bound the city to naming someone within 60 day; a new councillor would be sitting in the chair by August 17th of this year. The decision is expected to be ratified at next week’s meeting of council. Michael Prowse stepped down as Ward Six Councillor after over 13 years at the job, to pursue the role as the City of Barrie’s next CAO.