Ward 7 Coun. Josh Morgan will be taking over as deputy mayor after a vote by councillors Tuesday night.
Morgan will replace Ward 4 Coun. Jesse Helmer after his two-year term ends in November.
“Deputy Mayor Helmer left some big shoes to fill, and I will do my best to work hard on behalf of the mayor and council,” Morgan said.
Mayor Ed Holder nominated Morgan at Tuesday night’s city council meeting.
London currently has only one deputy mayor, chosen by the mayor and voted by city council.
“Over the years, I have worked with pretty much every member of council, moving motions or initiative forward, so I truly see this as a position that works for all of council,” Morgan said.
Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins had asked that the two-year term be shortened to one year to allow for a more diverse group of politicians to serve in the role.
“I believe in diversity so we should not have long terms, we should have short terms. Four deputy mayors instead of two is diversity,” Hopkins said.
Ward 11 Coun. Stephen Turner said London’s council has been proportionately underrepresented by women and people of colour for some time.
Yet the motion to shorten the term of deputy mayor to one year failed 6 to 9.
City politicians voted 14 to 1 in favour of Morgan’s nomination for a two-year term, with Turner casting the only vote against.
Morgan was first elected to council in 2014 and has most recently served as city council’s budget chair.
If approved at next week’s council meeting, Morgan will start a two-year term as deputy mayor on Dec. 1.
— With files from Natalie Lovie
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