Heather Wright/The Independent

While there won’t be a race for mayor in Petrolia, there is a wide range of candidates looking to become the next six members of town council.

Joel Field, the current deputy mayor, is the only person to file nomination papers for the job of mayor but 12 candidates have filed nomination papers to fill the six councillor chairs. The list includes incumbents, political newcomers, returning politicians, and a husband and wife.

Incumbent councillors Bill Clark, Liz Welsh, and Chad Hyatt are all seeking a seat around the table in the 2026 municipal election.

Marty Souch, who served as a councillor from 2018 to 2022, is also looking to return to council.

Richard Poore, who ran for mayor in 2018 and is a former administrator in the town, is seeking a council seat as is Former LCCVI Principal and current chair of the Lambton OPP Board, Greg Nemcek.

Political newcomers and Petrolia natives Miranda Cole and Ethan Brown were among the earliest to file their papers to run for council and were joined Nicole Ramsay, a 10-year resident of Petrolia and a digital content creator for Blackburn Radio. Cole is a mother of three young children and Brown works for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce.

John Alexander McDonald, who was decorated with the Governor General’s Medal for Bravery in 2017 after helping to rescue a woman from her burning car, is also seeking a seat on Petrolia council.

And among the entries in the closing days of the nomination period are husband and wife Dawn and Paul Stilwell.

Dawn Stilwell, a small business owner and podcaster, has volunteered on the board for both a local co-op daycare and Lambton County Developmental Services. She filed her papers to run for council Aug. 14.

Paul Stilwell, who filed his nomination papers with one day left before the deadline on Aug. 20. Paul Stilwell is a technician with JUCE Computers.

Neither the the Municipal Act, 2001 nor the Municipal Elections Act bars married couples from running or serving on the same council. The pair appear to be the first married couple to attempt to win council seats in Petrolia in the same election.

The Independent could find only one example of a husband and wife duo running for council. In 2022, Pauline Fortin and Mark McKillop ran for Greater Sudbury Council – each running in a different ward. Fortin was elected, McKillop was not. Fortin is running for re-election this fall.