At a special meeting on November 16th, North Grenville municipal council voted unanimously to appoint retired Navy Officer and public servant Donovan Arnaud to fill the seat left vacant by Councillor Tim Sutton.
A resident of North Grenville for the past twenty-six years, Mr. Arnaud has served on the board of Kemptville District Hospital, the Rotary Club, as a hockey coach, a warden with the Anglican Church, past President of the Navy League and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Arnaud was chosen by council out of eleven possible candidates. In October, council voted 3 to 1 to use the application and appointment process to fill the vacant seat. Councillor Bertram abstained from voting on that resolution, saying he felt council should appoint the person who had the next highest number of votes in last year’s municipal election.
On Monday, Deputy Mayor Barb Tobin said she was impressed by Arnaud’s reference to a changing community. Councillor Bertram seconded the motion, saying he too was impressed by Mr. Arnaud’s application and interview. Councillor Onasanya said he also appreciated Arnaud’s response to the question about challenges facing the municipality, in terms of rapid growth.
Mr. Arnaud will be sworn in as councillor at an upcoming meeting of municipal council.
