Bill Ives has emerged as acting mayor of Sayward after a pair of resignations left the village council two people short and without a leader.
Fellow councillors Wesley Cragg and Norm Kirschner voted for Ives at a Tuesday night council meeting. The vote came after elected mayor John MacDonald resigned March 13, followed by acting mayor Joyce Ellis resigning March 19.
Chief administrative officer/chief financial officer Lisa Clark then resigned shortly after Ellis left.
MacDonald said in his resignation letter that Sayward is in good shape and it’s time for him to enjoy retirement, while Ellis said she wanted to focus on her family and her health.
Appointing an acting mayor meant the budget could have a fourth-and-final reading on Tuesday, Ives said, and council will now begin the process of filling Sayward’s vacant chief administrative officer position.
Ives said he wasn’t looking to become mayor of the village of 311 people, located about 75 kilometres north of Campbell River, but is ready to step in.
“It’s a matter of we’ve got a job to do and we just need to buckle down and get on with it.”
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs was in phone contact during the meeting and indicated after that it was pleased with how things went, Ives said.
Ives said his first order of business Wednesday was to get signatures changed at the bank to allow him to be one of Sayward’s signing authorities.
No election will be held until after the COVID-19 outbreak ends, and Ives said there is a possibility he will run for mayor.
“I’ve had some people approach me and ask me if I would consider it, and I said I would,” he said.
