New Spaniard’s Bay deputy mayor elected in tiebreaker
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Olivia Bradbury
A new deputy mayor was elected for Spaniard’s Bay council after a resident in the gallery broke a tied vote.
The selection of a new deputy was necessitated by the surprise resignation of Gerald Sheppard June 9.
At its July 14th meeting, council members discussed when they would hold the vote for a new deputy mayor.
Councillor Ann Marie Singleton made a motion to hold the vote after a by-election is held to fill the empty spot on council. The motion was seconded by councillor Sherry Lundrigan. Councillor Terry Sheppard, who participated in the meeting via phone call, said it was a great idea.
However, when the motion was put to a vote, Sheppard, Lundrigan, and councillor Darren Smith voted in favour, while Singleton, councillor Debbie Newman, and Mayor Tammy Oliver voted against it, which resulted in a tie and so the motion was defeated.
Mayor Oliver then called for nominations to fill the position right away.
Singleton nominated Newman, while Sheppard nominated Lundrigan.
The council members then cast their votes, which were counted by Town Manager Vanessa Higgins, who announced it was a tie.
As per municipal regulations, the tie had to be broken by someone outside council. Higgins asked a resident in the gallery to pick one of the nominees’ names from a box. Lundrigan’s name was drawn, making her the Town’s new deputy mayor.
A by-election to fill the empty spot on the Spaniard’s Bay council will take place on September 22.