Councillor likely to be picked soon

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 11

Councillor likely to be picked soon

The appointment of a . Waimairi County councillor to replace Cr I. G. Lyons, who resigned in February, will probably be decided at a meeting of the full council next month, the county chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) has said. Cr Lyons resigned from the council after leaving Waimairi County. Because he resigned more than six months before October’s local-body elections the vacancy can not remain open. Mr Lyon's riding (Fendalton) had the opportunity to force a poll to elect a successor, but the required 5 per cent of the riding failed to petition the coun-

_ cil before the advertised closing date. Normally, under such circumstances, the council would invite the highestpolling unsuccessful candidate in the last election for the Fendalton riding to take the seat vacated by Cr Lyons. Unfortunately, at the last election Mr Lyons and the other riding member (Mr J. Bonisch) were elected unopposed. so there is no highest-polling unsuccessful candidate. Mr Rich said the appointment would probable be decided at the next full meeting of the council, and that the “caretaker’ councillor should be sworn in in May.