Mayor pitches sick leave extension for Hamilton councillor Terry Whitehead

Hamilton city council will consider extending colleague Terry Whitehead's sick leave to September.

Whitehead last attended a council meeting in December but has since been away due to an undisclosed illness.

Under the Municipal Act, local elected officials can only miss three successive months of council meetings before their seats are declared vacant.

In March, council gave Whitehead permission to be absent until this month's meeting.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger's motion calls for council to give the longtime west Mountain representative permission to be absent from meetings until Sept. 30, or his return to work, whichever comes first."

Whitehead's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.

In a news release before the March extension, the Ward 14 councillor said he had contended with severe personal and family health-related challenges" in the past year.

It is my hope, and with prayer, that my recovery period will be short, and I'll come back stronger and better to champion issues that are important to this community and the residents I represent."

Whitehead said his staff would continue to handle queries from constituents but the offices of councillors Tom Jackson and Lloyd Ferguson would help with complex political matters."

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based city hall reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com