The mayor of Pemberton has asked the members of Pemberton council to help decide what leadership at municipal hall is going to look like in July. Mayor Jordan Sturdy has written a letter to his council colleagues requesting a leave of absence for the month of July while the legislature sits in Victoria.
According to the letter from Sturdy, there will be a considerable amount of work to be done in July as he continues to understand the demands of his new role as MLA along with his appointment to the position of Parliamentary Secretary for Transportation and Infrastructure.
Sturdy laid out his leave of absence request in the letter: “In order to allow me to concentrate fully on appreciating my new responsibilities and assignments, I respectfully request that Council give consideration to granting me leave without pay from July 2, 2013 until Aug. 2, 2013.”
He indicated in the letter that he would reassess his circumstances on Aug. 2 and apprise council of his intentions as summer gives way to fall.
The letter and the request from Sturdy will be discussed at a special meeting of Pemberton Council on Tuesday, July 2.
Councillor Mike Richman said Sturdy gave his council colleagues early warning that he wouldn’t be around much in July.
“He’s been open with council, talking about trying to figure out his plans and the timing and what’s feasible and what works,” said Richman.
The councillor said it makes sense for Sturdy to take a leave and let the current council members handle the village business for a month.
“If he was to step down that triggers a whole set of events that leads to a by-election and my fear is that with the amount of stuff we have on the table right now…all of that grinds to a halt,” Richman said.
He pointed to recreation issues and a number of things with tight timelines attached to them as examples of initiatives that would be impacted by a mayoral resignation. According to Richman, the key initiatives in front of Pemberton right now will continue to move forward if Sturdy holds the title of mayor.
The next municipal elections in B.C. are scheduled for November of 2014.
