Next month’s warden’s election will see two previous wardens vie for a return to the Warden’s Chair at SDG Counties council. Candidates for the top spot in the Counties were required to declare their interest at the September 18 meeting.
Councillors Jamie MacDonald (North Glengarry) and Bryan McGillis (South Stormont) were the only two candidates to put their names forward for October’s warden election. Sitting warden Tony Fraser opted not to seek a second consecutive term, which he is eligible to do. Fraser was acclaimed in 2022 as the inaugural warden of the 2022-26 term of SDG council. He is also mayor of North Dundas.
MacDonald is currently mayor of North Glengarry and has twice before been elected warden in 2016 and 2018. McGillis is mayor of South Stormont and serving his fourth term on SDG council. He is the longest-serving member of SDG Council but has only been elected once as Warden in 2010.
“I feel my experience on County Council and recently as Warden is important as we are about to release our strategic plan and I can provide leadership to reach those goals,” MacDonald said of his decision to run next month. “I have a good rapport with individual county councillors to help them advance their needs locally. Tony Fraser has done a great job and I want to follow up on many of the issues he has been addressing here in SDG and at the Wardens Caucus.”
McGills did not respond to questions from The Leader by publication deadline.
The Warden’s election will take place at the October 16 council meeting. Once elected, the warden serves a one year term as head of council. Only members of SDG council are eligible to run for warden or elect the position.
This article was originally written for the Morrisburg Leader.
