By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Candidates vying for a position on a municipal Council in Ontario were able to start submitting their applications starting May 1.
The 2026 Municipal Election will take place on October 26. Successful candidates will serve on their municipal Councils for a four-year term.
Already, several names have been forwarded from interested candidates as of Monday.
In Essex, Sherry Bondy is seeking re-election as Mayor. She was first elected in 2010 as the Harrow rep. She remained in that position until she ran and won the bid for Mayor in 2022.
Rob Shepley is seeking re-election as Deputy Mayor. He was elected to the position in 2022.
Kim Verbeek (Ward 2 – McGregor) and Katie McGuire-Blais (Ward 1 – Essex Centre) are seeking re-election as ward Councillors. Verbeek was elected to the position in 2018, and McGuire-Blais in 2022.
In addition, Rachael Mills is hoping to earn the Councillor position for Ward 4 (Harrow). She ran in the 2025 Provincial Election as the NDP candidate. Bill Baker is seeking to be elected to represent Ward 3 (Colchester). He previously served on Council from 2010-2014. In 2014. He ran for mayor and was unsuccessful.
Essex votes on a ward system, with residents voting on whom they would like to be their ward rep, which aligns with their geographic location within the municipality. Harrow and McGregor each have one Council rep, while Essex Centre and Colchester each have two.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions are voted at-large, meaning every eligible elector in the municipality votes on whom they would like for each of these positions. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor also represent the Town of Essex on County of Essex Council, which is comprised of the same position holders from Essex, Lakeshore, Leamington, Kingsville, Tecumseh, LaSalle, and Amherstburg.
The school board nominations are also running at the same time. So far running is: David Keller for the Greater Essex County District School Board, Mary DiMenna for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, and Emmanualle Richez for the Conseil Scolaire Viamonde. As of Monday, no name has been put forward for the Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence.
All candidates are uncertified. They are later certified on August 24 after nominations close.
Now that nominations are open, interested candidates can apply until August 21, 2026, at 2pm.
Essex residents thinking about running in the Municipal Election or Schoolboard Election can learn how they can put their name forward, the rules of the process, and more information at www.essex.ca/elections. Voter information and candidate information is also available on the webpage.
Those interested in joining the Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee can fill out an application on the aforementioned webpage. Applications will be accepted until Friday, July 17, at 4:30pm.
The committee is being created to oversee Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, and Tecumseh for the 2026-2030 Term of Council.
Members of the committee will adjudicate any complaints that might be received with regard to the upcoming election,” Essex’s Director of Legal and Legislative Services, Joe Malandruccolo, explained to Essex Council at the May 4 meeting. This is when Council voted to form this joint committee, instead of having its own.
Previously, each municipality in the region had its own committee. Some problems municipalities have run into were finding people eligible and willing to be on the committee, he explained then.
Essex’s administration has been working to refresh election-related policies. On May 4, in addition to approving entering the Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee Council received the 2026 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan for information. Council received an Election Complaints Policy for information on April 20. At the April 7 meeting, Council received the report Prohibition on the Use of Corporate Resources during Elections Policy for information and adopted a new Municipal Election Recount Policy. In March, Council adopted a policy with additional voting proxy requirements that will be applied to Town of Essex Municipal Elections or By-Elections.