Beth Prost, Midland’s newest deputy mayor, took her seat at last night’s regular meeting of council.
“Overwhelming, but wonderful,” was how Prost described her first meeting as deputy mayor. “I feel really good. I think I belong here.”
Following a brief signing-in ceremony and some photos with family, Prost sat beside Mayor Bill Gordon to perform the municipal duties previously conducted by Jack Contin, who passed away in November.
Prost told MidlandToday that she put her name in for the position because of her want to contribute to the town.
“I was thinking of my current council and I feel that I can give a little more this way,” she stated.
Midland council isn’t her only role in the position, as she was also chosen to represent the town alongside Gordon at the Simcoe County council level.
“I went yesterday and I absolutely love it,” said Prost with enthusiasm. “I love being at county. I’m happy to continue being a public servant; it means everything to me."
The absence of Contin was felt by Gordon, who referred to the previous deputy mayor as his “wingman.”
During last night’s council meeting, Gordon gave a few words on the transition and praised Prost, previously a two-term councillor, as his new “wingman – I mean wingperson.”
“We had a little brief earlier about going over the procedure,” said Gordon. “It’s one thing to sit there and be part of the meeting, it’s another to do the thing; and arguably the deputy mayor runs most of the meeting. We reviewed that, and Beth told me she was ready to do it and she was. She nailed it.”
There were a few hiccups in her portion of the meeting, which can be ascribed to someone on their first attempt. Gordon assisted her during moments when other members of council and staff were talking, but Prost handled the bulk of the committee of the whole without trouble.
When she concluded, people in the council chambers including the audience applauded her success.
However, Gordon followed it up in the return to the regular meeting by immediately passing the chair to Prost and handing her a lengthy notice of motion to read, copy-pasted from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, garnering laughter from Prost and the attendees.
“In a word,” said Gordon, “you could describe this council term so far as the word ‘change’... not only in the organization but outside the organization – now in council – and we’ll be welcoming a new councillor in the coming weeks.”
As Prost had vacated her seat as councillor, council later voted unanimously in favour of the option to fill the vacancy by appointment by the call for nominees, to be filled within a period of 60 days.
“What we haven’t done,” Gordon noted, “is change our position or our trajectory around any of our promises; but the people sitting around the table making them happen – the constant is change here.
“I have faith that none of our plans have been compromised by the untimely loss of my former deputy mayor, and we’ve got ourselves somebody who thinks an awful lot like him and is equally committed to all the things Jack was passionate about, and brings her own passions to it. I feel really positive about this,” Gordon added.
Having her family attend the meeting and the ceremony was of great importance to Prost.
“It means everything because they support me.”
The oath of office bylaw and council vacancy report is available in full in the council agenda on the town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.
