Burns Lake Mayor Chris Beach has told Lakes District News he won’t be running for re-election this October.
“After five years on council I have decided to spend more time with my family and focus on my career, and so I will not be running for re-election as mayor of Burns Lake,” he said in a statement.
READ MORE: Beach unsure about 2018 re-election bid
Although Beach did not respond whether he will be moving out of town, his wife Dooseon Yung appears listed as a business instructor at the Prince George campus of the College of New Caledonia and his Burns Lake home has been sold.
He did confirm, however, that he will be finishing his term as mayor.
Beach was elected as the mayor of Burns Lake in a December 2016 byelection, running against former fire chief Jim McBride. Beach had resigned as councillor a couple of months prior to run for the mayor’s seat.
All seats on Burns Lake village council are up for grabs on election day, which this year falls on Saturday, Oct. 20. This is a change from previous years, when local elections took place on Nov. 15. The earlier election date is being implemented B.C.-wide this year.
The nomination period for candidates takes place between Sept. 4 and 14, followed by a month of campaigning. Those elected serve a four-year term.
Voter turnout in local elections tends to be low. In the last general local election in Burns Lake, 628 voters cast their ballot — an estimated 41.5 percent of eligible voters, according to CivicInfo BC.
School district and regional district elections take place the same day.
According to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in the event of an elected official resignation occurring after June 1 in the year of the general election, it is up to the local government to decide whether or not to hold a byelection.
– With files from David Koch
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