Frontenac County Warden Hospitalized in London

Jeff Green | Aug 28, 2014

North Frontenac Township mayor, Bud Clayton, who is also serving as warden of Frontenac County this year, remained in the Intensive Care Unit at the London Health Sciences Centre after falling ill early last week while attending a meeting of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

He has a suspected case of viral meningitis.

Cheryl Robson, the Chief Administrative Officer of North Frontenac Township, said that Clayton's family is with him.

“He took sick during the AMO meeting and at the hospital they ruled out stroke and heart attack and they are quite certain it is viral meningitis and are treating it as such,” said Robson.

Early this week, Robson said that Clayton’s condition had improved over the weekend. His fever had dropped and he had been responding to his wife, Jackie Clayton.

Kelly Pender, the Chief Administrative Officer of Frontenac County, was attending the AMO meeting with Clayton. He remained in London after the meeting wrapped up, only returning late in the week after Clayton's family had arrived.

Fred Perry, the deputy mayor of North Frontenac, officiated at a public meeting on a planning matter last Friday, August 23. At the start of the meeting Perry informed the public about Mayor Clayton's health issue.

“Bud is a fighter,” Perry said after the meeting, “he doesn't give in to things.”

Cheryl Robson concurred. “I expect we'll see him back here in a couple of weeks, just as before,” she said.

Viral meningitis is not normally a life threatening illness, in contrast to bacterial meningitis, which often is, according to the Mayo Clinic. The most effective treatment for the disease seems to be time.

“Antibiotics can't cure viral meningitis, and most cases improve on their own in several weeks,” according to the Mayo Clinic website.

Bud Clayton is registered to run for re-election as mayor of North Frontenac. The registration deadline is September 12. There is one other registered candidate for mayor, Claudio Valentini.

Mayor Clayton's term as warden of Frontenac County has three more months to run.