HAGERSVILLE—Haldimand’s councillors will soon be put in the unique position of once again having to discuss the merits of a Ward 4 by-election just a year-and-a-half after the late Marie Trainer won the seat in the last by-election, due to the resignation of 2022 election winner Natalie Stam.
“I don’t have any updates to share other than that in accordance with the Municipal Act the seat will need to formally be declared vacant by Council no later than November 25,” said County spokesperson Kyra Hayes. “Following that, staff will bring a report forward with options for Council to consider, taking into consideration the timelines outlined within the legislation.”
Trainer was memorialized by Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley on Monday, November 10, where a floral arrangement and lit candle were set at her Ward 4 seat during the regularly scheduled Council meeting.
“Marie Trainer was a member of Council and cherished friend.… We have a candle lit where she usually sits around the horseshoe as we honour her memory this evening. In true Marie spirit, she was insistent to actively participate at a recent Council meeting virtually from her hospital bed. It was nice to see she was in good spirits at that meeting,” said Bentley. “She was determined to get better and join us around Council again. Unfortunately, it was not the way it was to be, and here we are honouring her memory.”
When the Ward 4 seat was previously vacated, Council discussed in March 2023 the options of running a by-election or placing a Council-selected appointee in the role. Bentley noted during that discussion that the County had received numerous calls that showed a divided public opinion on how to proceed. In the end, they voted to support staff’s recommendation of a by-election.
Bentley said at the time, “As a new Council, we discuss democracy and transparency on a regular basis, and I believe we should show Ward 4 that their voices do matter to the rest of Haldimand County…. We really need to give Ward 4 their chance to speak.”
As noted by Ward 1 Councillor Stewart Patterson, the lone council member to advocate for an appointee last year, unless the seat is declared vacant after March 31 of the final year of the Council term – 2026 in this case – a by-election remains an option.
Of note, while Natalie Stam defeated incumbent Tony Dalimonte decisively with 66% of the vote in the 2022 municipal election, leading Bentley to assert that “clearly Ward 4 wanted change” in her advocacy for the 2023 by-election, Trainer’s victory over Dalimonte was far less decisive, with a razor-thin 34-vote margin.
The Hagersville Chamber of Commerce released a letter earlier this week endorsing Dalimonte’s appointment to the seat, noting that the 2025 budget process is coming up, among it the “magnitude of the current Hagersville Library and Active Living Centre project.”
“The Chamber’s recommendation to Haldimand County Council is endorsing the appointment of the candidate who finished second in the voting in both the most recent general election and subsequent by-election for the current term of council for Ward 4,” said the letter.
Council is set to discuss the matter at their Monday, November 25 meeting.
Should Council elect to appoint a councillor to Trainer’s seat, they would have two options: simply choosing the appointee, likely to be Trainer’s closest competitor, or holding an open appointment process, during which the County would accept applications from anyone interested in the job.
More details will be shared when available.
