After weeks of controversy and back-and-forth bickering, Belleville Council has appointed Tyler Allsopp to fill the vacant seat of late Councillor Pat Culhane.
Allsopp, who finished just out of the running in the 2018 election. was appointed by a 7-1 vote at Monday night’s council meeting, after a motion to reconsider council’s original decision back in December also passed by the same tally.
He’s set to be sworn in sometime before council’s next meeting on February 8, 2021.
Speaking to Quinte News following the meeting, Allsopp says despite divisiveness seen around the council table throughout the process, he’s ready to get past that and get to work for the people of Belleville.
“Even though at times it may not have seemed like it during this process, I certainly have a great respect for every member of council. We went through a tough thing but now we’re playing for the same team. If we’re going to be playing hard when we’re not necessarily playing on the same team, now I expect we’re all going to play hard as a team together. I’m looking forward to what we can get done and what we can accomplish.”
Allsopp added that he understands that the vote wasn’t unanimous and that he feels some onus on himself to prove that he is committed.
He says he’ll do that “through hard work and showing up prepared” and says aside from the formal training to come from City Hall, he’s already starting to read and learn more about the council process.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk had voted against Allsopp originally, but changed his mind leading up to Monday’s vote.
He told Quinte News that while many citizens weren’t happy with the process, he believes it did encourage more women, visible minorities and people with disabilities to get involved.
“In the end, I know that some people haven’t liked the way this occurred, but we got to where we needed to be and we’ve appointed Tyler Allsopp to the position on council. At the same time, we’ve identified the real shortcomings we have with our system and I hope that as a result you’ll see not just more people run in the next election, but a more reflective council elected.”
Councillor Kelly McCaw was the only vote against appointing Allsopp and told the virtual meeting that while she holds no animosity towards him, she wanted to stand for what she believes in.
She also scolded the five members of council who voted against accepting an ad-hoc committee report, recommending Jennifer MacTavish to fill that seat and says while some councillors talk about wanting change, very few were willing to act on it.
“I would argue that change is tomorrow, not now in the City of Belleville and we know that tomorrow never comes. With all of the unspoken now spoken, unlike others, I’m truly committed to working with whoever fills the council seat and I’m further committed to continue to advance the business of the city. But I would say this to Jennifer MacTavish, I hope to see your name on the ballot in 2022.”
While there had been much disagreement between councillors over the course of the appointment process, all of them did agree that they were pleased with the level of public engagement that led to the final decision.
You can watch the full meeting below, with discussion on Allsopp’s appointment beginning at the 1:42:30 mark:
