The LaSalle byelection is quickly approaching, with online voting beginning online on Oct. 10 at 10 a.m. Voting will close on Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Nominations were being accepted by the Town of LaSalle until Sept. 5. The byelection is being held to fill the vacant seat left by the passing of Sue Desjarlais in April. If you’re wondering who the candidates are, here is a full list, in no particular order: Mike Seguin Mike Seguin is a former superintendent with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. He also serves as the president of LaSalle Milor Hockey and the music director with the Windsor Optimist Youth Band. “I would be an advocate for doing whatever we can to keep the budget as low as we can, but also to maintain the priorities of a community as far as services, et cetera,” said Seguin. He added he would also like to increase active living activities and services in the town. Brandon Meloche Brandon Meloche has lived in LaSalle his entire life and said he has had a passion for politics since he was a teenager. He studied political science at the University of Windsor, has a Master of Business Administration, and currently works as an accountant. He said his concerns surround housing, infrastructure, and debt. “We, as a town, have taken out quite a bit of debt over the last seven years, which has been used to finance some construction projects,” he said. “And while infrastructure investment is always good, it’s generally a better idea to spend within ones means, as any one of my neighbours does when balancing their own chequebooks so to speak.” Tory McKay Tory McKay is a long-time LaSalle resident who came to the area after expanding her business, Tory McKay Property Management, from Sarnia to the Windsor area. She is a mother of two and a grandmother to five, and while she said she isn’t a politician, she has been involved in canvassing for other political figures most of her life. “I’m not going in as a politician, I’m going in as working for and serving the residents,” she said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about them. I’m not a politician, and that’s key on my platform, is to say I’m just someone there that has a lot of financial experience to help.” She said her priorities will support strategic development to keep LaSalle ‘vibrant’, which includes the development of the LaSalle Landing Waterfront. Kate Paddon Kate Paddon is a LaSalle resident of 18 years with a background in advertising. She said she has heard residents are worried about the tax levy. “I’m hoping to be able to find ways, efficiencies to really reduce the burden on the taxpayer,” she said. “I know tax cuts are probably not very realistic, but I think we can really look into becoming fiscally responsible and finding efficiencies to help mitigate the increased rise in taxes here.” She added she will be able to use her background in advertising as a councillor to help promote LaSalle. Robbie Durling Robbie Durling is currently a business administration student at St. Clair College. He said although he is young, he feels he can represent LaSalle. “I’m hard working, I’m extremely dedicated, and though I’m only 19 years of age, this is that I’m taking very seriously, and I want to represent the LaSalle residents,” he said. He added that through his schooling, he has experience in politics. “I’ve been involved in a lot of school politics, whether at my high school of St. Thomas of Villanova, and now as a current St. Clair College business student, I’m also involved in the athletic association there, so this is another kind of avenue,” he said. “I guess I could say this is something that I’ve wanted to do for quite some time and just help my community in this really important leadership role.” He said his platform includes alleviating traffic congestion, engaging the community more, and appropriate spending. Rob Moore Rob Moore is a former LaSalle firefighter and is the head coach of the Sandwich Sabres track and field team, holding that position for 26 years. He has worked at Stellantis Canada for 32 years and is an active participant with the Goodfellows. He has living in LaSalle for more than 20 years with his wife and children. Some of the key issues he would like to tackle include improving the riverfront, gathering public insight about safety, streamline the red tape to bring more businesses into town, all while keeping the small town feel of LaSalle. He also said he would like to see more government grants to help lower taxes for residents and get more money from the Municipality of Essex. “In our tax dollars, we give roughly almost 31 per cent of our tax dollars to the Municipality of Essex. Are we getting the same amount in return?” he questioned. “Maybe we’re giving them too much. Maybe we should be giving them only 25 per cent, maybe there’s a way we can look at that and see if we are giving them what we’re supposed to be giving.” Brad Krewench Brad Krewench expressed his interest in running for the vacant seat in an interview with CTV News Windsor back in May. He was the runner up in the last municipal election, missing a spot on council by just over 500 ballots. “I’ve been designing for the last 24 years, I’ve been in the military for the last 22 years working with children in the cadet program, and I run two successful non-profit organizations right now,” he said. “I thought all of those skills that I’ve learnt over those many years would help me to fill the role in the council position with the Town of LaSalle.” He added he would like to make sure community members are aware of what’s happening in their town. “I’ve always thought that the people that sit on council should be the voice of the members of the community, and that’s what I really want to bring to the table,” Krewench said. Chris Matis The Town of LaSalle confirmed that Matis withdrew his name from the running and is no longer a candidate. - With files from AM800 News.
