County Council Elects Hilda Macdonald As Essex County Warden

Thursday November 24th, 2022, 7:12am

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Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald was elected Warden of Essex County Wednesday night, becoming the first woman to hold the position since it was established in 1853.

MacDonald vied for the position against Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara, who served as Warden from 2018 to 2022. MacDonald won on the first ballot, securing a majority of the votes. As is customary, the breakdown of the votes was not released, the ballots were destroyed and Council voted to declare her victory unanimous.

“Look at the diversity around this table. The time is right. The population of the region has shown that they are ready for diversity, they are ready to have themselves represented at this table,” said MacDonald in her opening remarks as Warden. “It’s no longer just one demographic. Skin colour, gender, age, all of those things are represented at this table and I’m proud to be elected by you, my fellow colleagues.”

MacDonald, 69, is a lifelong resident of Leamington. Prior to politics, she ran her own business while raising her children. She is married to her husband, Doug.

She was elected Mayor of Leamington in 2018 and again in 2022. Prior to that, MacDonald served one term as Leamington’s Deputy Mayor and for two terms as a Councillor. She serves on the Association of Municipalities Board of Directors and the Ontario Small Urban Municipalities Executive Committee.

Tecumseh Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti won the election for Deputy Warden over LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche.

Bachetti has served on Tecumseh Council for 28 years and also works as a principal for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. He served as a Town Councillor from 1994 to 2014 and was elected Deputy Mayor in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Of the 14 Essex County Councillors sworn in Wednesday night by the Honourable Mr. Justice George W. King, eight are new and six are returning.

The new Essex County Council: