And then there was one.
The exodus of those elected to Lynn Lake’s council in the October 2014 general election is almost complete now that former councillor Paul Grimmer, who also served as deputy mayor, and former mayor James Lindsay resigned their positions in June, leaving just three councillors to oversee the city until a September byelection.
With Lindsay’s resignation, Coun. Trevor Kruzer is the only Lynn Lake representative elected or acclaimed in the last general election to not have resigned his position.
Jim Shortt, who was also deputy mayor at the time, resigned in April 2016, while David Campbell, deputy mayor at the time, resigned in November 2015. Campbell was replaced by Patricia MacDonald in a byelection and Rex Osmond was elected to fill Shortt’s vacant seat in another byelection.
Residents of Lynn Lake will have the opportunity Sept. 19 to pick a new mayor and councillor to replace Lindsay and Grimmer.
Lindsay, who became mayor in a 2012 byelection, declined to comment on his resignation to the Nickel Belt News, other than to say that the position had taken a mental and physical toll. Lindsay was re-elected for a second term in a two-candidate race in October 2014.
Grimmer was acclaimed for his first term in 2014 when there were only four candidates for four council positions, making an election unnecessary.
“I think it’s fair to say that when Mayor Lindsay and I entered into municipal politics the town was on pretty unstable footing,” Grimmer told the Nickel Belt News regarding his resignation. “However, three years later (six, I think, for James), it felt like we are out of the woods, so to speak, and it just seemed like as good a time as any to pull the chute. We both had pretty full plates, working full-time and volunteering in other capacities within the community and serving on council was adding a significant amount of stress to our lives.”
Candidate registration for the vacant mayor and councillor’s seat began July 24 and will continue until Aug 14 at 4:30 p.m. Those who wish to run for either of the vacant positions must register with the senior election official, the Town of Lynn Lake’s acting chief administrative officer Velline Afuang, during the registration period before they begin accepting contributions, incurring expenses, borrowing money or fundraising for their campaigns.
The nomination period will begin Aug. 8 and continue until Aug. 14. Nominations must be signed by 25 voters or at least one per cent of eligible voters and a minimum of at least two voters in all cases, regardless of the number who are eligible. Nominations must also include a declaration of qualification.
In the run-up to the byelection, eligible voters can have their names added to the voters list or have information on the voters list corrected. People can also request to have their names and addresses obscured on the voters list, in which case they will receive a personal security certificate and identification number which will enable them to vote by a sealed envelope ballot, but not at regular or advance voting places.
Non-resident landowners who are Canadian citizens, over 18 years old on election day and have been registered landowners within the town for at least six months on election day can vote. A maximum of two non-resident property owners per property can vote in municipal elections, if each of them have written consent from a majority of registered landowners and file them with the senior election official. Proof of property ownership may be required at the time that a ballot is cast.
