Essex has its first mayoral candidate for the 2022 municipal election.
Current mayor Richard Meloche is seeking another term around the council table.
He has been on council for 19 years serving as a councillor and deputy mayor before being appointed as mayor earlier this year.
"I've been doing the mayor's job now for about four, five months and it seems very naturally, it was a good fit," he says. "I had retired last year in November and I had always said, I am not running for mayor until I am retired because the mayor's job is a full time job if you're going to do it right."
Meloche says he's enjoying his time as mayor.
"It's something that was kind of in my blood," says Meloche. "I was deputy mayor for 15 years before I was appointed mayor and I'll get a chance to have a trial run of what it's like before I actually, hopefully am voted in as mayor for the next four years."
He adds residents have reached out to support his mayoral bid.
"I had all kinds of people encouraging me and sending their well wishes and saying please please, we need you as mayor, you're doing a great job as mayor right now and we want to see more of that," he says. "You've already proven yourself as a mayor, you're doing a great job as mayor right now and we want to see more of that."
Council appointed Meloche as mayor in January after former mayor Larry Snively stepped down after pleading guilty to a charge under the Municipal Elections Act.
Current councillor Sherry Bondy has publicly stated she is running for mayor but has yet to file her nomination papers.