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Saturday was sunny in Bells Corners, where a small horde of superheroes and ghosts gathered for pizza and music in a fieldhouse, hosted by the Westcliffe Estates Community Association.

It was the kind of neighbourhood event where a city councillor routinely shows up to shake hands, flip burgers, and keep the lines of communications open.

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Westcliffe Estates is in College Ward, and for years their councillor, Rick Chiarelli, has worked these gatherings. He’s so familiar that no one uses his last name. He is just Rick.

But he hasn’t been seen at a fun fair or barbecue since mid-September, when allegations of sexually inappropriate treatment of female staff began surfacing at city hall.

Photo by Patrick Doyle / Postmedia

And while the weekend events can carry on without him, residents are starting to worry who is going to represent them at city hall — and when?

There’s no doubt that Chiarelli is a polarizing figure in the community. Some are eager to see him return; others not. And some in College Ward just want the issue of an absentee councillor resolved.