Aamjiwnaang Chief Joanne Rogers BlackburnNews.com photo by Melanie IrwinAamjiwnaang Chief Joanne Rogers BlackburnNews.com photo by Melanie Irwin
Sarnia

Chief Rogers Not Seeking Re-Election

There'll be a new chief of Aamjiwnaang First Nation after the July 20 election.

Candidate lists have been finalized and Joanne Rogers' name is not among the four running for chief.

Those nominated had until 4pm Wednesday to withdraw their names.

Christopher Plain, who served as chief for more than a decade, is running for the position again, along with Darren Henry, Lareina Rising, and Ronald Codey Simon.

Rogers became Aamjiwnaang's first female chief when she was elected to a two-year term in 2016.

She says she's not running again, for personal reasons.

"Family is my priority right now," says Rogers. "I just lost my son May 29, so it's been really rough and I'm not back to work right now. I wanted to spend time with my husband and family. Right now, I'm not sure I can give 100% to my community like I would want to."

Rogers, who spent 21 years as a Justice of the Peace, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Sarnia Police Services Board in March.

There are 26 candidates running for the nine council positions.

 

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