Ward 3 Councillor Steve Pinsonneault is taking a step back from municipal politics.
The long-time councillor announced that he will be taking an unpaid leave of absence in an effort to move into the world of provincial politics.
Mayor Darrin Canniff read a letter addressed to council from Pinsonneault during Monday night's meeting. In it, Pinsonneault explained that even though he's not required to take a leave he didn't feel it was fair to Chatham-Kent taxpayers to pay his salary while his focus was elsewhere.
A by-election for the vacant Lambton-Kent-Middlesex seat has been announced, with voters heading to the polls on May 2.
Pinsonneault is the Ontario PC Party candidate running for the riding, the seat has been empty since Progressive Conservative MPP and labour minister Monte McNaughton resigned in September last year.
"I'm excited for him, for his opportunity," said Mayor Canniff, adding that the overall feeling on council is one of excitement. "He'll bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role that he's running for now."
The businessman was first elected to Chatham-Kent Council in 2006 and has served East Kent and the rest of the community as a councillor since.
"It will be really tough shoes to fill, if he's successful in his venture," Canniff said.
The Mayor stated that there are only two options for Pinsonneault's municipal council seat, should he win the by-election.
"Either we have a by-election or the seat goes to the third place individual from the election," Canniff said.
He added that the seat would not be left open. "It's two and a half years," Canniff explained. "You can't leave a seat open that long."
CK Council will decide which option they'll choose following the provincial by-election.
Since the district was created in 1999, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex has voted Progressive Conservative, with a period of Liberal leadership between 2003-2011.
In the last election, McNaughton won by an overwhelming 58.81 per cent of the vote.
Liaison Strategies released a poll on April 3 that showed Pinsonneault and the PC Party had a healthy 13 per cent lead over the second-place Liberal Party.
Pinsonneault is running against Ontario Liberal candidate Cathy Burghardt-Jesson, NDP candidate Kathryn Shailer, Green Party candidate Andraena Tilgner, New Blue Party candidate Keith Benn, None of the Above Party candidate Stephen Campbell, and independent Cynthia Workman.