A Ford will be running to replace Rob Ford if council orders a byelection.
City councillors will debate next week how to fill the Etobicoke North (Ward 2) vacancy created by the ex-mayor’s death last month.
In a report released Thursday, city staff outline the choice for council — either an appointing a new councillor at a special meeting on June 9 or holding a byelection in mid-July.
“It’s too long of a time to appoint someone, you have to let the people decide,” Rob Ford’s brother Doug Ford told the Sun on Thursday.
Ford — a former councillor and 2014 mayoral candidate — said he or his nephew Michael Ford, a school trustee, would be running for the position if council opts for a byelection.
“We’ve always believed in a byelection, so we’ll see what council decides and we’ll go from there,” he said.
The total cost of the byelection is earmarked at about $175,000, not including the cost of a contribution rebate program.
If the rebates are added, staff estimate a byelection would cost around $225,000.
Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong said he will reserve his opinion on whether council should appoint a new councillor or hold a byelection until the May 3 meeting.
“The cost of a byelection is certainly a factor, it’s not the only factor, but it’s one of the things to consider when the item comes to council,” he said. “I don’t have any great insights other than that.”
In 2000, council adopted a policy of establishing an earlier cut-off date to hold byelections.
The policy provides that vacancies occurring on or before Nov. 30 in the year before a regular election be filled by byelection, and vacancies occurring afterwards be filled by appointment. The next municipal election isn’t until 2018.