Essex Council to discuss options to fill vacant mayors seat

The Town of Essex has issued a statement following the resignation of Larry Snively as mayor.

In accordance with requirements under the Municipal Act, Council is expected to formally declare the Mayor's seat as being vacant at its Jan. 17 regular meeting with a decision as to how to fill the vacancy, says the statement.

The options to fill the vacant seat include by appointment or the calling of a by-election, which would be made at a subsequent special council meeting to be scheduled, according to the Town.

"Although the recent news concerning the Mayor has been disappointing, we would like to thank Larry for his leadership and dedication during his time on Council. He has demonstrated his passion for our community by leading countless projects and initiatives in effort to better serve the residents." said Doug Sweet, Chief Administrative Officer. "I would like to assure the residents that the Town of Essex will continue to operate at full capacity to uphold the highest level of service that they have come to expect."

Snively tendered his resignation effective Jan. 12 in a letter delivered to the Municipal Clerk.

On Jan. 7, Snively was fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to a charge under the Municipal Elections Act.

The charge was laid after the OPP began investigating in October 2018 after allegations over the misuse of proxy ballots, with several complaints received over proxy ballots being signed without proper consent.

Proxy ballots are used to give someone permission to vote on behalf of another person.

At the time, Snively announced he intended to serve the remainder of his term but did not plan to seek re-election in the upcoming municipal elections.

On Jan. 10, Essex Councillor Sherry Bondy called on Snively to resign.

Bondy was part of a group that sought an investigation into the misuse of proxy votes during the 2018 election.

Full statement from the Town of Essex:

On Tuesday, January 12, 2022, Larry Snively announced his resignation from his position as Mayor of the Town of Essex. Attached is the Mayor’s official Notice of Resignation.

"Although the recent news concerning the Mayor has been disappointing, we would like to thank Larry for his leadership and dedication during his time on Council. He has demonstrated his passion for our community by leading countless projects and initiatives in effort to better serve the residents." said Doug Sweet, Chief Administrative Officer. "I would like to assure the residents that the Town of Essex will continue to operate at full capacity to uphold the highest level of service that they have come to expect."

Snively was first elected to Town of Essex Council in 2000. He first served as Mayor from 2002 to 2003 replacing the late Joan Flood and then was again elected as Mayor in the 2018 municipal election. Throughout his time on Council, Larry demonstrated his dedication to serving the community with a focus on progressively moving the town forward.

As a proven leader, Larry has been an advocate for growing the local economy and taxbase and has worked diligently with developers and landowners alike in order to attract businesses to the Town. Throughout his time on Council, Larry worked to enhance the vibrancy of the community through various events and fund-raising initiatives such as the Colchester Fun Day. In recent years, Larry, along with his fellow Council members, took the lead to bring major legacy projects to fruition within the Town including such projects as the development of Colchester Park, the building of the new Essex Fire Station 2, and the Harrow and Essex Centre Streetscape Projects.

In accordance with requirements under the Municipal Act, Council is expected to formally declare the Mayor’s seat as being vacant at its January 17 regular meeting with a decision as to how to fill the vacancy (by appointment or the calling of a by-election) expected to be made at a subsequent special council meeting to be scheduled.