IGNACE — After a three-month appointment process, Ignace has filled out its council.
The remaining three members on Monday night officially selected Janet Lett and Wayne Minnear to fill the vacant seats, with the two sworn in during that meeting.
Back in April, former mayor Bill Gascon and former councillor Al Zimmer abruptly resigned, following what they called a breakdown of the council.
The remaining three councillors opted to appoint replacements, rather than holding a byelection, and hired an external consulting firm to oversee the application process.
During a meeting last month, the councillors scored questionnaires submitted by each applicant, as well as a five-minute presentation.
After considering the overall scores of each applicant, interim mayor Kim Baigrie and Coun. John Taddeo selected Lett and Minnear for the two spots, while Coun. Jody Defeo put forth Lett and Jeff Lederer.
Each council member had to publicly provide a reason for their choice of applicants.
Baigrie had prepared a written statement before the meeting, citing Minnear’s emphasis on teamwork in his presentation as what made him stand out.
“Teamwork — together everyone achieves more,” said Baigrie said.
After the meeting, Baigrie was asked in an interview about her written statement before knowing the application’s official scores.
"We were told that we can either go by the score or we can choose who we would like to work with, and that is what I did," she said. "I was shocked when I saw the scores and the two that I had picked. Mr. Minnear did an awesome job presenting that night.”
Minnear's average score was the highest out of the 11 applicants, scoring a 40 on his questionnaire and a 42 on his presentation making his total 82.
“I honestly didn't think I was going to get through the process, so it feels good,” he said.
Minnear claimed that he felt that being a member of the community for four years would put him at a disadvantage.
Nevertheless, he applied because of the challenges he foresaw in the community.
“There's a long-term challenge here for the council to get things on track and prior to me moving here, I was hearing stories of the nuclear waste storage facility may be coming here. It's not the only place that it was. It was entertaining and that piqued my interest because you want to see things done right.”
Lett's average score was the second highest with a total of 71. Her scorecard revealed that she received 36 on her questionnaire and 35 on her presentation.
“It's very exciting. It's going to be a very exciting time on council and I'm looking forward to it,” said Lett in an interview after the meeting.
Lett ran for council during the election last October. Although she wasn’t elected, Lett couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a councillor.
“Very invested and would like to be part of the exciting changes and opportunities going forward for sure,” said Lett.
Lett stood out to Baigrie because of her longevity in the community and her dedication as the postmaster for Ignace.
“She's lived here quite a few years and I know she did an awesome job when she worked as a postmaster. So, I know she'll do an awesome job here, and she’ll work with the public, and work with the council. That's my biggest thing working with the council. Let's all get along, let's move this community forward,” said Baigrie.
Among the other applicants, former mayor Penny Lucas scored among the lowest. Lucas scored 33 on her questionnaire and 25 on her presentation for an overall total of 58.
Chantal Burch and Julianna Sinclair were the lowest-scoring applicants after receiving zeros on their presentations due to their absences. Both their questionnaire scores were a single point higher than Lucas’s.
Although each of the names of the applicants was removed by the consultant and a number was assigned in their place, it should be noted that the first question on the questionnaire revealed the former mayor as an applicant.
The first question asked the applicants if they had ever previously served on Ignace's council.
During the June 15 council meeting, consultant Peggy Young-Loveless stated that it would be up to Council on whether the answer would be an “advantage or disadvantage.”
When asked to clarify why a more experienced candidate would have been seen as a pro or a con affect the outcome of the application process, Baigrie stated, “I voted for who I thought could work for the community, and could work together as a councillor.”
Shortly after council voted, Clerk Rhonda Smith officially swore in by Lett and Minnear, who took their place as councillors.
