St. Catharines man likely to fill hole on Niagara Regional Council

It looks like Mike Britton will finally land at the Niagara Regional Council table after being denied his previous shot at an opening.

Last night (April 10), St. Catharines City Council voted 8-1 in favour of Britton filling the seat after George Darte’s unexpected resignation on March 30.

While he was tight-lipped about why he was stepping away, Darte did say it was personal and asked for his privacy to be respected.

Britton was considered the front-runner to fill the regional council seat after the passing of Sandie Bellows late last year. In fact, St. Catharines staff approached him about the possibility and when he agreed, their recommendation was to send Britton to the seat as he was next in line after the last municipal election.

St. Catharines Council instead chose to send Ward 4’s Mat Siscoe to the seat, saying he could more quickly become familiar with the regional issues. Britton’s lawyer fought to give the seat to Britton instead but to little avail.

While the region still have to approve the ascension of Britton to the seat, it seems unlikely they will overrule St. Catharines Council’s recommendation.

With the next municipal election slated for October 24, Britton will now have six full months in the seat should Niagara agree on the choice.