Port Moody residents will be going to the polls to elect a new city councillor on Sept. 30.
And the city’s mayor said he hopes some new initiatives will encourage more than usual to do so.
On Wednesday, city council approved the appointment of Dorothy Shermer as the city’s chief election officer and Tracy Takahashi as her deputy. They’ll supervise a civic byelection to replace former councillor Rick Glumac, who’s now the NDP MLA for Port Moody-Coquitlam. Glumac resigned his council seat on June 23.
The appointment of Shermer and Takahashi is effective June 28. That sets the clock ticking for the maximum 80-day election period from their hiring as mandated by the provincial Local Government Act.
Clay said the Sept. 30 date is the most practical as it allows candidates to do a good chunk of campaigning when residents are back from vacation and are no longer distracted by more leisurely summer pursuits.
“They’re back in the groove and paying attention,” Clay said.
Other factors that were considered included nicer weather in September that might encourage people to venture to a polling station and the opportunity to capture voters who might be heading south to spend the fall and winter months in warmer climes.
Clay said the city also plans to increase its mail-in ballot program by making ballots available at the front counter of city hall throughout the election period — and voters won’t even have to spend a dollar for a stamp as they’ll just be able to hand the sealed envelope with their ballot back to the clerk at the counter.
There will also be a social media campaign and maybe even some fun videos with viral potential to keep the byelection top-of-mind.
But Clay hopes engaging voters won’t be a problem.
“There’s no shortage of issues in Port Moody,” he said. “We’re at an exciting time.”
The city has budgeted $49,500 for the byelection, including a 10% contingency. The money will come from its accumulated surplus funds.
Advance polls will be held Sept. 20 and 23. There will be three polling stations: Glenayre and Heritage Mountain community centres, and at the PoMo recreation complex.
So far, the only declared candidate to replace Glumac is Karen Rockwell, a former city councillor who served three terms from 2002 to 2011.
