Town of Pelham receives top municipal award for work on by-election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2021

Pelham, ON – On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the Town of Pelham, collaboratively with three other municipalities, was named the recipient of this year’s E.A. Danby Award for its role in developing, sharing, and executing safe and successful practices during last year’s by-election. 

The E.A. Danby Award is a tiered awards program based on the size of the municipality. In Ontario, there are 444 municipalities, and each year, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario recognizes municipalities with populations less than 20,000 and those with larger populations. The E.A. Danby Award focuses on initiatives that fall within the broad categories of finance, administration and implementation of legislation and recognizes one or more municipalities that demonstrate an initiative or a willingness to explore innovative techniques that produce tangible results related to the efficiency and effectiveness of the municipal corporation.

“If ever there was evidence of positive inter-municipal cooperation and collaboration, this is it,” said Town Clerk Holly Willford. “Though we were the smallest municipality in this group, we weren’t spectators; we were active contributors and the first of the four to hold our by-election. Nancy Bozzato guided Pelham through this process, and the by-election’s success is in great part because of her leadership, knowledge and expertise.”

Along with members from the City of Ottawa, the City of Windsor, and the City of Cambridge, Pelham staff developed protocols and procedures for running a by-election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of note, the working group members from the four municipalities and the leaders of their respective by-elections were all women. In Pelham, this group included now-retired Clerk Nancy Bozzato, former Deputy Clerk and current Town Clerk Holly Willford, and current Deputy Clerk Sarah Leach. 

The by-election in 2020 was the first in Pelham since 2011, and despite being held during the peak of the pandemic and among stringent public health measures, 2020 saw an increase in voter turnout. Community engagement strategies were particularly effective in increasing voter turnout and included voter notification packages with detailed information on COVID-19 safety precautions, the process of submitting a mail-in ballot, and a comprehensive communication strategy.

-30-

For media inquiries, please contact:

Marc MacDonald
Communications and Public Relations Specialist
905-892-2607 x309
mmacdonald@pelham.ca

Town of Pelham receives top municipal award for work on by-election (pdf)