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Saying he’ll be “diving deeper in community service,” Ward 2 Coun. Fabio Costante on Monday submitted his resignation from Windsor city council to take over the helm as chief executive officer of the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation.
Costante officially steps down from city council Thursday, an elected position he has held since late 2018.
“I reflected long and hard on where I can best serve our community,” he told the Windsor Star ahead of stepping down. “That was the central focus in my decision — ‘Where can I be most impactful?’”
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Serving on city council “has been the honour of my life,” he said. “We have achieved so much in these past six and a half years, and I’m very proud of the progress that we’ve made throughout our neighborhoods on the west side.”
The current term of city council does not end until November 2026.
Costante was offered the position of CEO following what the board called “a thorough and exhaustive search that spanned several months.”
“The Selection Committee undertook a rigorous and thoughtful process to select the new CEO,” selection committee member Joyce Zuk said in a statement. “We were fortunate to meet with an exceptional group of candidates, each bringing unique strengths.
“Fabio stood out as the clear choice — a leader whose vision, experience, and integrity make him exceptionally well-suited to guide CHC into its next chapter.”
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Costante, a lawyer by profession, said the housing board made clear that a condition to being employed was to step down from council.
“It would have created opportunities for a conflict and would have been difficult for me to do both jobs at their fullest extent,” Costante said.
Joe Bachetti, chairman of the housing corporation’s board of directors, said Costante’s appointment comes at a pivotal time.
“CHC’s Board of Directors is confident that under Mr. Costante’s leadership, CHC will effectively tackle the hurdles posed by the national housing crisis, advancing CHC’s mission with purpose and integrity,” Bachetti, who is also Tecumseh’s deputy mayor, said in the statement.
Costante spoke about the progress made in the west-side neighbourhoods he represented during his terms on city council and the many infrastructure investments received, as well as the political fights he undertook to increase safety, re-activate parks and clean up vacant homes and other properties.
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“And then, of course, the most important part that I reflect on, and that I cherish most, most, are the people that I’ve been able to meet, that I’ve been able to work with,” Costante said. “To me, that was the best part of the job — meeting so many amazing people along the way.”
Costante admits he was left with a very difficult decision to make.
“After careful consideration and, frankly, endless discussions with family and some community leaders that I very much look up to and trust, I felt strongly that I could do more for our community in this new role.
“We are in the midst of a housing crisis, it’s no secret, and having the opportunity to work with an excellent team and staff at the CHC in addressing this crisis head-on was a challenge that I could not pass up,” he added.
“And so I look at this not as stepping away … but rather diving deeper in community service that is specifically focused on the biggest issue that I see we face as a community today.”
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Costante, who has a masters of business administration (MBA) degree and served as a city council representative on the Windsor Essex County Housing Corporation (WECHC) board, begins his new chief executive officer job on July 7.
The WECHC is the largest social housing provider in Windsor and Essex County and fifth-largest in Ontario. According to its website, it serves approximately 12,000 residents, offering almost 5,000 homes to seniors, families, and singles in need of affordable housing.
In the midst of the current housing crisis, the local organization has a waiting list of over 7,000 people seeking affordable housing.
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