After almost not making it to a seat on council for a second time, Tyler Allsopp was officially sworn in as Belleville’s newest city councillor Monday.
Allsopp has filled the seat left vacant by Pat Culhane, who died last year.
His road to council was less than smooth. He was a runner up to the pool of councillors chosen in the 2018 municipal election. And then when it came to selecting Culhane’s replacement, the mayor and some councillors initially supported naming a committee to choose another candidate for the role.
But after significant public outcry, the mayor and councillors voted to allow Allsopp to take the seat in late January, with councillor Kelly McCaw giving the only dissenting vote.
“Today is a very exciting day for me as I have been hoping and working for this since I was 20 years old,” Allsopp said. “I felt that it was important to secure representation for young people in this community in order for our voices to become amplified and for our interests to be addressed.”
Allsopp is the co-owner and operator of Doug’s Bicycle Sales & Service, where he has worked since 2006.
He also serves as the treasurer for the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, now known as the Enrichment Centre for Mental Health.