By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Members of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North hosted an election for the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson positions at the February 9 meeting.
Paul Sweet, Tecumseh’s Community Representative, will remain at the helm of the Essex County OPP Detachment Board – North, which serves Essex, Lakeshore, and Tecumseh.
Sweet was first elected to the Chairperson position in April of 2024, when the amalgamated Police Services Board was formed after the Province’s Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA) came into effect.
“I appreciate the support I had last year,” Sweet said, noting he hopes that momentum continues to carry forward. He was nominated for reappointment by Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy. No one ran against him for the position.
“We have become a very, very functional board, and the model of that is all the people here that participate so meaningfully.”
He also spoke of the support the Board members get from staff and their partners from the Ontario Provincial Police.
Dave Kigar, Essex’s Community Representative, was nominated and re-appointed to the Vice Chairperson position by Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara. Kigar was originally appointed to the position during the inaugural meeting for the Essex County Police Service Board-North in April 2024. Kigar was a member of the Essex Police Services Board before the board merger.
In addition, members welcomed Don Williamson, At-Large member for the North Board, who was also sworn in during the meeting. He will represent the Town of Essex on the Board for the next year.
Back in November, Council for the Town of Essex appointed Williamson to be the second At-Large Community Member position for the Town of Essex on the Essex County OPP Detachment Board-North, effective January 1, 2026.
This At-Large Member position rotates between the three municipalities for a one-year term.
The appointment was then forwarded to the Municipality of Lakeshore and Town of Tecumseh for their consideration, as the board is comprised of all the municipalities.
Williamson has over 35-years in supervisory roles, with 19 of those as a Fire Chief. He currently serves as Fire Chief for the Municipality of Leamington. He is an Essex resident.
Essex CAO Kate Giurissevich noted previously the Town received a large number of applicants for this position, adding many were highly-qualified. A scoring analysis was conducted to select the candidate.