Woodstock Mayor Trevor Birtch, who faces sexual assault charges involving two complainants, will seek re-election this fall.
Birtch, 47, multiple-sided charges of sexual assault and assault. In that context, his at-the-deadline decision Friday to file papers to run for a third term as the Southwestern Ontario city’s mayor is likely unprecedented, at least in local politics.
Candidates had until 2 pm Friday to file papers to run for municipal office. Voters go to the polls in municipalities provincewide on Oct. 24.
London police first charged Birtch in early February with assault, sexual assault and sexual assault with choking following three alleged incidents last year involving the same woman. The charge of sexual assault with choking was dropped and a second count of sexual assault was added later in court.
In late April, less than one week after his political colleagues granted him paid leave, police announced three new sexual assault charges against Birtch for alleged incidents involving a different woman between Jan. 1, 2017, and April 5, 2022, according to short documents.
Birtch has not spoken publicly about the criminal charges against him since they were first made public by Postmedia in February. In a statement Friday, he said he would not discuss them but spoke out on his decision to seek re-election.
“I’m proud of my record over the past eight years,” he said. “There is much work that still needs to be done and I am ready, willing and able to continue.”
The criminally charged mayor was granted a paid leave of absence by Woodstock city council in April but continued to participate in civic politics at the county level. Unlike the city motion, Oxford County requires that Birtch request the leave in writing.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act, politicians facing criminal charges can stay in office even if they’re convicted. Only a jail sentence, even if just one day, disqualifies a municipal politician from office.
“This is dismissive of the needs of victims of sexual assault,” said Diane Harris, who leads two domestic abuse agencies in Woodstock, said of Birtch’s decision to seek re-election. “This is really concerning and challenging.
A father of three, Birtch was first elected as Woodstock’s mayor in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. The four other candidates who have already filed to run for Woodstock mayor are two-term city councilor Jerry Accione; Anthony Scalisi, owner of Woodstock’s Water Shop; David Hilderley, a realtor and retired educator; and Peter Coves, a sixth-generation Oxford resident.