Essex council commissions report on corporate resources, campaign signs during elections

Councillors with the Town of Essex will receive a report later this year outlining steps the municipality can take to ensure elections are conducted in a more fair manner.

A motion by Ward 4 Coun. Sherry Bondy during Tuesday's town council meeting sought to begin discussions about strengthening Essex's policy on proxy voting, following concerns expressed in the wake of Essex's 2018 municipal election.

The motion also hoped to address concerns about the use of corporate resources during elections, as well as rules around campaign signs.

According to Town of Essex bylaws, candidates in municipal elections aren't allowed to use corporate resources like facilities, supplies, equipment, services or staff for activities related to an election campaign.

Essex bylaws state that campaign signs can't be displayed before a specific date.

However, Bondy said not only did some candidates display signs before the specific date, other candidates used corporate resources to aid their elections.

"There [were] not enough town resources to police the election and candidates were left to police themselves," she said.

Despite Bondy's original motion, a friendly amendment from Ward 3 Coun. Steve Bjorkman removed the proxy voting component to prevent councillors from discussing a subject that's currently undergoing an investigation by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

OPP began investigating allegations of election fraud in Essex last October, following official complaints of proxy ballots being signed with elector consent.

Bondy has been one of the most vocal voices on Essex town council calling for electoral reform as a result of proxy voting concerns.

She told council Tuesday that she simply wanted a "routine examination" of the corporate resources and campaign signage bylaws to "find out what's working [and] what's not working."

Recommendations expected in October

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of Bondy's motion, with a report containing recommendations expected to be delivered by October.

Still, not all those who voted with Bondy agreed with her assertion that the municipality's 2018 was unfair.

Ward 1 Coun. Morley Bowman said he voted in favour of Bondy's motion because he believes changes "should be coming through administration."

"There are people in the trenches that were out there working and dealing with the issues as the election progress," he said. "And if you're going to make changes, you certainly want to see their recommendations coming forward."

Bowman added he believes there were "very few" issues with the election, adding "it's always advantageous for a review of the process."