One of the two vacant seats at London City Hall has a new councillor.
John Fyfe-Millar, the two time runner up in Ward 13, was appointed Tuesday by a 7-6 vote.
Fyfe-Millar was lauded for his community involvement during the debate, and more than 70 Londoners wrote letters supporting his appointment. However, arguments about process were plentiful during the meeting.
Councillors Stephen Turner, Jesse Helmer, Elizabeth Peloza, Anna Hopkins, Maureen Cassidy, and Mo Salih voted against Fyfe-Millar's appointment, despite claims from the seven vote majority about Fyfe-Millar's credibility as a full in councillor after he finished second in a ranked ballot election in 2018.
https://twitter.com/jesse_helmer/status/1453106596372942848
Those opposed had wanted a community application process, or, in the case of Turner, a by-election to pick the new council member. City staff had said the role wouldn't be filled until February at the earliest if council had selected a by-election, so there was little support for a vote this winter.
Filling the vacant seat has been a hot topic in London since former Ward 13 councillor Arielle Kayabaga became the MP-elect for London West last month.
Fyfe-Millar officially takes on the role in November. However, the other ward without a councillor remains vacant.
Despite Mayor Holder's suggestion to appoint Ward 6 runner-up Mike Bloxam to replace Phil Squire, the rest of council disagreed.
By a 12-1 vote, the decision was deferred to a Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meeting next month.
Councillors Shawn Lewis, Michael van Holst, and Steve Hiller all said the Ward 6 vacancy was less recent, and they wanted more time to think about the process to fill it.