WELLINGTON COUNTY — Chris White has been elected the brand new county warden after a nearly-decade-long hiatus.
At a particular assembly of county council Friday morning, Chris White was elected as the brand new County of Wellington warden in a secret vote. For this methodology, county councillor votes are usually not revealed and ballots are destroyed post-meeting.
Following a sequence of ballots the place the least-voted candidate was eradicated from the working, White gained in opposition to County Councillor Gregg Davidson in a 9-7 vote within the last contest. The different warden hopefuls included Shawn Watters, Diane Ballantyne and Mary Lloyd, who introduced their intentions ultimately week’s county council assembly.
White replaces present Wellington North mayor Andy Lennox, who served as warden from 2022 to 2024.
Sometimes serving two-year phrases, county wardens act because the chair of county council conferences and serve as a member of all committees. Wardens can search one other two-year time period when there’s one other election halfway by the four-year municipal time period.
The subsequent warden election will happen in 2026, coinciding with the county council election.
Serving as warden for 2 consecutive phrases in 2010 and 2012, White has additionally served because the Guelph Eramosa mayor since 2006.
The present chair of the Grand River Conservation Authority Board, White is the previous chair of the Rural Ontario Muncipal Affiliation (ROMA), rural caucus of the Affiliation of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the financial growth and administration, finance and human sources committees.
He has additionally been a member of the Wellington County O.P.P. detachment board, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Well being board and Western Ontario Warden’s Caucus.
“I wish to thank everybody for his or her votes and their confidence in me up right here within the chair, it truly is a really humbling expertise,” mentioned White, in his opening remarks. “It is an necessary place, it is a vital council … I do know there are nice issues coming.”
When requested what he is most trying ahead to tackling in his new place, White mentioned he intends to control the tax greenback however believes it will be a “regular as you go” scenario.
“The difficulty is the actual fact we’ve got a really giant infrastructure deficit and on the coronary heart, we’re roads and bridges,” mentioned White. “And people issues are objects we’ve got to remember so I am trying ahead to that.”
Committee chairs have been additionally chosen on the inaugural assembly, additionally chosen by a secret vote if there was a couple of nominee.
These elected have been:
Earl Campbell will substitute White as the brand new chair of the Administration, Finance and Human Sources Committee
Jeff Duncan will return as chair of the Financial Improvement Committee
Doug Breen beat Lloyd for chair of the Data, Heritage and Seniors Committee
James Seeley will proceed because the chair of the Planning and Land Division Committee, beating out Ballantyne and Dave Turton
Gregg Davidson was re-elected as chair of the Roads Committee, profitable in opposition to Ballantyne
Steve O’Neill returns because the Strong Waste Providers Committee chair
Lennox will substitute Campbell as the brand new chair of the Wellington County O.P.P. Detachment Board
Dave Anderson will proceed because the vice chair of the Joint Social Providers and Land Ambulance, beating Lloyd
Isabel Buckmaster is the for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
