Riverview byelection set for May 18

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This article was published 12/03/2016 (3850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Riverview ward residents head to the polls on May 18 to elect a new councillor.

Coun. Vanessa Hamilton attended her last Brandon City Council meeting this week and announced her resignation, effective March 18.

“I just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone here … mayor, fellow councillors and all the staff that were really helpful,” Hamilton said in council chambers. “I know that everybody here has the residents’ best interests in mind … I’m going to miss you guys a lot.”

Hamilton is resigning to take a run at provincial politics as the Liberal candidate in Brandon East.

As the current council is only a year and a half into its four-year term, a byelection is required in accordance with The Municipal Act. If resignations come within six months of a regular election, there is no byelection requirement. If it’s within a year, it’s up to council whether they want to have one or leave the seat unfilled for the remainder of the term.

This was the case when former South Centre councillor Garth Rice resigned in March 2014, after serving 12 years. Given the close proximity to the October municipal election, it was decided to keep the spot vacant.

City clerk Heather Ewasiuk said the preliminary budget for the Riverview byelection is $12,000 to $15,000. This covers advertising, election staff, printing, security, building rental, materials, etc.

It is expected that city manager Scott Hildebrand will announce the byelection at the March 21 meeting, which means the campaign period would officially start the next day, March 22. The nomination period will be April 6-12.

Mayor Rick Chrest said neighbouring ward councillors are prepared to field calls from Riverview ward residents with any concerns while they wait for a new representative.

“They can call another councillor, or they can call the city manager’s office or the mayor’s office so there will be no gap in service or contact for the residents of Riverview ward,” he said.

Chrest has asked for the byelection to be conducted “as speedily as all the timelines allow… so that we’re back up to full strength as soon as possible and the residents of Riverview ward have a councillor once again.”

Tyson Tame, who was runner up to Hamilton by just 49 votes in the 2014 election, has announced his intention to run for the seat.

“I want to finish what I set out to do in the beginning, and it really was coming from a genuine place of wanting to serve,” Tame said.

Tame is a real estate advisor/partner with Royal LePage. While he doesn’t currently live in the Riverview ward, he said he has close connections to the neighbourhood and has lived there in the past.

“I really want the opportunity to prove to that ward that regardless of whether I live in the ward that I’m really looking to serve that ward specifically,” he said. “I’m really a blue-collar guy, and I really appreciate the people in that area. Just hard-working families and seniors, I feel like that’s the two large demographics that occupy that ward.”

He calls himself a family man who appreciates the struggles young families go through.

“I just think they need really solid representation, someone who takes their playground seriously, just all those infrastructure deficiencies … I think the Riverview ward needs a solid negotiator, and that’s what I feel I bring to the table,” Tame said.

Former councillor Murray Blight announced in February that was planning to vie for the seat. When contacted Friday, Blight said there are a few personal issues that he still has to consider before making his candidacy official, but will have a definite answer by March 22.

The retired police officer served three terms on council, and resigned after the 2010-14 term. He previously told the Sun he missed politics and could hit the ground running in the new role.

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