The future of the next council in Chatham-Kent can start to take shape on Jan. 2.
Nominations are being accepted starting this day for the 2014 municipal election.
Judy Smith, municipal clerk, said the completed forms could flow into the Civic Centre or any other Municipal anytime before Sept. 12.
“It’s different all the time,” Smith said. “Sometimes we do get the one, or two, or three that come in right in January, then it may quiet down. It’s whenever people find it is the best opportunity for them.”
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Smith added potential candidates cannot start fundraising for their campaign until their papers have been filed.
“It’s illegal to raise campaign funds or incur campaign expenses prior to nomination,” she said. “Sometimes people want to come in right away to get their nomination in so they can start raising funds, and others wait until the very last minute of Sept. 12 to put it in. Sometimes people are strategic with when they put it in; it’s entirely up to them.”
Smith said full eligibility criteria is outlined on chatham-kent.ca, and anyone who failed to provide their financial information from the last election would not be eligible to run this year.
She said Chatham-Kent will see some changes this year for their election.
“During the advanced voting, we’re going to be doing, along with the paper ballots, Internet voting,” she said. “So people can vote just from their own home and their name will be scratched off the voters list, their votes will be in the system and they don’t have to go out on election day to vote at one of the polling locations.”
Here are the individuals currently holding positions on council:
Mayor: Randy Hope
Ward 1, West Kent: Bryon Fluker and Brian King.
Ward 2, South Kent: Art Stirling, Karen Herman and Frank Vercouteren.
Ward 3, East Kent: Jim Brown and Steve Pinsonneault.
Ward 4, North Kent: Joe Faas and Leon Leclair.
Ward 5, Wallaceburg: Jeff Wesley and Sheldon Parsons.
Ward 6, Chatham: Doug Sulman, Anne Gilbert, Bob Myers, Michael Bondy, Marjorie Crew and Derek Robertson.
Cost to run is $100 for anyone running for council and $200 for those running for mayor.
Call Smith at 519-360-1998 ext. 3200, or e-mail ckclerk@chatham-kent.ca for more information.
