Mono Council has set down the ground rules for filling the seat on council left vacant when Councillor Ken McGhee was elevated to deputy mayor last week.

After the seat was officially declared vacant at Tuesday night's meeting, Mayor Lorie Haddock said an advertisement for applications to fill the position will be posted. From there, applicants chosen for an interview will be interviewed at a public meeting, in accordance with the rules of the Ontario Municipal Act. The interview will involve both oral and written questions and answers.

While no timetable has been set, OMA rules stipulate that the seat must be filled within 60 days of it being declared vacant.

The town had two options to fill the seat. It could be done either through an appointment or calling an election. With the cost of an election estimated at close to $20,000, council did not consider that option.

Long-time Mono resident Bob Shirley is expected to be a serious contender for the post. Currently a board member of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, he knows his way around municipal politics. He sat on Mono council for five terms between 1976 and 1994.

"My heart's still in Mono," he says. "I feel a commitment to do what I can to help this town and I think I can help."