A fresh face is joining the Essex council table.
Ten candidates had put their names forward to take over the vacant Ward 3 seat and in a tight 4-3 vote Monday night council selected Jason Matyi.
Councillor Kim Verbeek nominated Matyi calling him a long-time resident who is heavily involved in the community.
She says Matyi is perfect for the job.
"This is someone with roots, deep roots, in Ward 3 and clear commitment to community. He's engaged and he is involved. But most importantly, he has no personal ties to any members of our current council."
Verbeek says residents were calling for a new perspective on council.
"I agree with all of the input we received from so many residents in the community about bringing new blood and new faces to this table and how important that is."
She says Matyi doesn't bring any baggage to the role.
"It's time for our council to make some positive moves forward, not going backwards. I would love to have a voice at the table with no previous biases or alliances and I thought he would just be a great addition to this table."
Candidates Bill Caixeiro and Mac Goslin were nominated as well, but through a process of elimination council landed on Matyi as the successful applicant — he'll be sworn in at a March 14 meeting and will serve as Ward 3 councillor for the remainder of the term.
The Ward 3 seat opened up when Steve Bjorkman was appointed as deputy mayor after Richard Meloche shifted into the mayor's role following the resignation of Larry Snively.