Since missing out on a seat at the Timmins council table by two votes in 2018, Cory Robin has been considering whether or not to run again.
"The conversation changed from running again to running for re-election, so I’m excited to actually make that distinction now,” said Robin.
Last night, he was appointed by council to fill the empty Ward 5 councillor seat.
It was declared vacant at the Sept. 8 council meeting after Noella Rinaldo stepped down to take a job at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation.
Council had 60 days from that meeting to appoint a new member or hold a byelection.
To appoint a member, the options are to advertise for people and choose from that list, or appoint one of the unsuccessful candidates from the last municipal election.
When Rinaldo announced her resignation, Robin knew being appointed was a possibility. In the last term when a councillor stepped away, the council of the day appointed the next in line to fill the seat.
The current council is about halfway through its four-year term.
Two years into the term, the issues important to Robin during the election are still relevant.
In 2018, he said racism and social inequality, homelessness and the opioid epidemic were the driving factors for his run.
“I’m looking forward to growth, to growing as a person and learning more about our city and becoming a better representative to the residents of Ward 5, and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
Because the results were so close in the election, the City of Timmins held an official recount for the fourth Ward 5 seat. Coun. Andrew Marks won the seat. The other councillors for the ward are Kristin Murray and Michelle Boileau.
“To lose by two (votes), was definitely something that was hard to swallow and I took it pretty hard for a little while. But then I slowly realized that I almost won, so that was a turning point,” he said.
“I’m actually quite grateful to everyone who supported me to be able to be in a position to be appointed, to be in a position to be fifth in line. So I’m quite ecstatic this morning now that it’s all sunken in."
Now that council has appointed Robin, Timmins clerk Steph Palmateer said the next step is to reach out and check his availability.
“As soon as practical for him to attend an upcoming council meeting we’ll have him sworn in at that time,” Palmateer said.
Robin will also be given an orientation package and items to become familiar with the role of council, said Palmateer. He said the mayor will also have to consider committees, and there may be some shuffling for that representation.
