The County of Essex will look into how the positions of Warden and Deputy Warden will be elected through an administrative report.
At the June 15 meeting, Essex Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley put forward a Notice of Motion, which County of Essex Council passed at the August 5 meeting, which directed County administration to look into options for suggested amendments to the Procedural By-Law in how those positions are elected.
The Warden is currently elected by members of County Council – comprised of the Mayors and Deputy Mayors of the seven local municipalities – after a Municipal Election takes place. The Warden chairs County Council meetings, speaks on behalf of County Council, and represents County Council at events. The Deputy Warden fills in when the Warden is unable.
Administration will look into suggested amendments and present them to County Council via a report prior to the inaugural meeting of the next Term of County Council.
Potential amendments as presented in the resolution include: the nomination period for both Warden and Deputy Warden closes before voting begins; a member of County Council can stand for election for either Warden or Deputy Warden, but not both; and there shall be a single ballot for both the position of Warden and Deputy Warden, such that the voting takes place at the same time for both positions; and no member may be elected to the position of Warden or Deputy Warden without securing majority support from the members present.
Potential amendments will be presented to Council for approval as part of Procedure By-Law amendment recommendations and as part of a Governance Review report, prior to the inaugural meeting of the next Term of Council.
Shepley noted his Notice of Motion had nothing to do about any particular individual or about a past election; it’s about strengthening the process going forward and ensuring every candidate is treated fairly under the same set of rules.
“The position of Warden and Deputy Warden are two separate and important leadership roles. They each carry significant responsibilities, and I believe each deserves a candidate who has made a clear commitment to seeking that office,” Shepley explained.
He also believes a candidate should run for the office and for the position they are seeking, not run for the Warden position, and if unsuccessful, then pursue Deputy Warden. That could create the perception that the office of the Deputy Warden is simply the fallback position.
“I don’t believe that is fair to the Office of the Deputy Warden or those who are committed to seeking that position from the beginning,” he said.
Currently, a candidate can seek the Warden position, be unsuccessful, and then become a candidate for the Deputy Warden position. Shepley believes that creates an uneven playing field for candidates who declared for Deputy Warden from the beginning.
“The purpose of this motion is simple. Everyone should make the same commitment at the same time under the same rules. This motion doesn’t change who can run. Every eligible member still has the same opportunity to seek either office,” Shepley said. What changes is that a candidate would make that choice before nominations close.
He also believes this would strengthen public confidence in the process.
“Good governance isn’t just about doing the right thing,” Shepley said. adding it is also about avoiding processes that can create the wrong perception.
Even if the current system works, Shepley said, “improving confidence in the process is a worthwhile goal.”
LaSalle Deputy Mayor Mike Akpata loved the idea. He and LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche clarified the intention as it pertains to the majority of support mentioned in the motion. County Clerk Katherine Hebert explained that a meeting would not take place without a quorum, which would be eight members to answer their concerns.
Hebert added that County administration does have a report in the works that will come to Council in the near future, based on the governance interviews conducted with each of the seven local municipalities, members of County Council, and their alternates, over the course of the past several months.
Through those conversations, she said, there were several recommendations and opposing viewpoints. County administration has come up with several recommendations that will be presented to County Council and they will work on some options to consider regarding what Shepley has proposed through his motion.
She noted staff does have some other recommendations, and County Council will be able to consider them when the report is brought forward.
Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue, who ultimately was the only one who voted against the motion, asked if any other County Councils in Ontario hold their elections for Deputy Warden and Warden as suggested through the motion. Hebert noted she has spoken to the clerks at other upper-tier municipalities in Ontario. She said the subject has come up in other municipalities as well. Through those conversations with the local municipalities in regard to governance interviews, she did raise the question with the other local clerks.
Hebert noted there are several municipalities and several ways this process can be done. Some municipalities do not elect a Deputy Warden at all, and the Warden appoints an individual to that position. Some municipalities elect a Warden at the inaugural meeting, and then elect a Deputy Warden later on. Some elect both positions the same night, like County Council currently does.
If Council has an appetite to change from status quo, when the report returns, Hebert noted there will be recommendations from which they can consider.
Through his work with unions, Prue said it was normal for unions to elect a president at a convention. And it was common for those who didn’t get that position to run for other positions as well. He does not see this as an unfair process. He can understand how some people might look at it and believe that process is unfair. He would not lose sleep if Shepley’s motion passed.
Joe Bacchetti, Deputy Mayor of Tecumseh and Deputy Warden of the County of Essex, thanked Shepley for bringing this idea forward. He believes it is the next step as to what this County Council has built already. Around the County Council table, they are Councillors, not the Mayor or Deputy Mayor position in which they hold for their respective municipalities. Typically, Deputy Mayors don’t run for the Warden position or even the Deputy Warden position. Choosing to run for Warden is a different job from Deputy Warden, he said.
Choosing one of the positions, he believes, is the democratic way to move forward with County Council.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy would be curious to see if any other upper-tier municipalities in Ontario have a two-year mark where they allow Council to have another election for those top two positions, which is the midway mark of the term. It’s too bad members of the public aren’t engaged on this matter in some form, because many of the members of the public would love to be.
She also raised having to write down a name during the nomination process as a concern, as scrutineers may be able to determine who wrote what based on recognizing handwriting.
She would like a safeguard in place so that her sloppy handwriting is confidential.
As this motion will have staff create a report with some options on it, Bondy was in favour. She’s looking forward to seeing what those suggestions are and what other practices are used in other municipalities.
Something she did caution was the pairing of the possible Warden Deputy and Warden where those two individuals might not necessarily want to work together based on personality or governance differences.
By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 12, 2026 at 12:13
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