Windsor City Council will soon be whole once again, with voters in one ward choosing a new representative.
Frazier Fathers is the unofficial winner of Monday night's by-election, which was made necessary by the resignation of Fabio Costante, who is now the CEO of the Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation.
Fathers told WindsorNewsToday.ca that he's ready to learn the ropes and get to work.
"It's still sinking in, but it's really exciting," said Fathers. "I went to the ward meeting on Tuesday night and got to chat with the mayor and Councillor [Renaldo] Agostino, and a few other councillors who were there, trying to figure out when the swearing-in will be, and when we can sort of hit the ground running together."
Fathers said he will formally meet with Mayor Drew Dilkens once the city clerk certifies his victory, which, considering the margin of victory, will be a formality.
During the campaign, Fathers said Ward 2 residents pointed out a variety of issues.
"Ward 2 is a big geographic ward, so depending on which neighbourhood you're in, it's a little bit different, but there are some themes going through there," said Fathers. "Certainly speed and traffic-calming were some things that were sort of top of mind for a lot of folks."
Once he does take his seat on the City Council dias, Fathers said he will be ready to get to work, though he will need to get up to speed on ongoing issues.
"There are projects that are already in the queue, and stuff that was started probably under Councillor Costante that I'm just not fully aware of, and really circling back to a lot of residents. I heard a lot of ideas and a lot of issues at the door," said Fathers.
Fathers will complete Costante's term, which expires in November 2026. He has hinted that he would like to run for a four-year term in his own right.
