Councillor Darrell Hill has tendered his resignation to the Village of Burns Lake, from his position as one of the Councillors, prompting the village to hold by-elections soon this year.
Hill, in a post on his official page on Facebook announced the news on Sept. 24. Hill said that the move to resign was in order to take up a position with the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN).
“When I put my name forward to run for Council I never thought I would be saying this half way through my term, but unfortunately this will be my last post as a Councillor for the Village of Burns Lake. I have had to submit my resignation from Council as I have accepted a new job at the RDBN, which means I am not allowed to sit on municipal Council.”
He also mentioned in the post that he would continue to work until the end of all the UBCM meetings and that it was his last week as a member of the council.
In response to Hill’s post Mayor Dolores Funk extended her good wishes and thanked him for his service to the Council. She also said, “You will be leaving some big shoes to fill. I have appreciated what you bring to the table – thoughtful, educated, balanced perspectives, and a calm respectful demeanour. You will continue to be a huge asset to this community in your new role at the RDBN.”
In a Sept. 17 RDBN board meeting, Funk had informed the board of the resignation of Councillor Hill. Hill, who also represented Funk in her absence, at the board, would now be replaced with a different member of council. At the time, Funk had mentioned that she won’t be able to comment any further on the reasons for Hill’s departure. In the same meeting, she also said that as a result of the vacancy, the village would now be holding a by-election this year.
The village is yet to set a date for the by-elections.
“Timing for the by-election hasn’t been worked out yet. The first step is to have Council appoint the Chief Election Officer. The Chief Election Officer sets the date based on regulations in the Local Government Act,” said CAO Sheryl Worthing in an email to Lakes District News.
Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar
priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net
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