Ward 2 councillor Lisa Vezeau-Allen attended Monday's meeting of city council, but sat in the gallery instead of her usual seat around the horseshoe.
Vezeau-Allen informed city staff of her leave of absence in a letter sent on Jan. 31.
Asked if she is required to sit out or if it was a choice, Vezeau-Allen said: "I choose to take a leave of absence, not required but I believe best to avoid any perceived or possible conflicts."
City clerk Rachel Tyczinski told SooToday there is no specific legislative requirement for a member of council to take a leave of absence while campaigning for a provincial or federal office.
"In the past, candidates in provincial and federal elections in Sault Ste. Marie who were members of council chose to take a leave during the campaign period," she said.
Tyczinski noted that Vezeau-Allen's leave of absence is unpaid.
In 2016, when then-councillor Ross Romano was seeking the provincial seat in the 2017 byelection, he announced his intention to continue working on council.
"We need a strong presence now more than ever and I still aim to fulfill my elected responsibilities. I hope this new role will not take anything away from that in the eyes of our community," said Romano at the time.
Romano did end up taking a leave without pay while he ran for provincial office, he confirmed by text on Wednesday.
Vezeau-Allen is seeking to take over Romano's seat after he announced in December that he will not be seeking reelection.
Last week, Vezeau-Allen was chosen by the local NDP riding association to carry that party's flag in the upcoming provincial election.
Vezeau-Allen has long been involved with the New Democrats. She has served as vice-president of the local riding association and co-chair of former Sault MP and MPP Tony Martin’s election campaign.
The PC Party announced its candidate for the riding.
Doug Ford chose Chris Scott, the first candidate who announced that he was running, in January.
The Ontario Liberals have not yet announced a candidate to run in Sault Ste. Marie.