Skip Appointment, Go Straight to Election

By 250 News

The Regional District of Fraser Fort George  has asked for an exemption from the normal procedure which would have a temporary Director appointed in Electoral Area "A".  That would be to fill the spot left vacant with the resignation of Dee Burden.  She stepped down in October, just a few days before being sentenced for defrauding the Royal Bank of more than $30 thousand dollars.

The problem is that under the Municipal Act, an alternate Director was to be named "in a timely manner" in the event the elected Director has to vacate the position.  That responsibility was on the shoulders of the elected Director, in this case, Dee Burden.  She didn't do that, so the Board is left with a process that would allow it to select a Director who would fill the post until there could be an election.  Problem is, that process takes about the same amount of time as the time frame leading up to the actual by-election.

To that end, the Board has decided to defer a request to ask the Provincial government o revisethe Municipal Government Act to read that an appointment of an alternate Director be made within 60 days of  taking office.

Tom Yates has been selected as the Chief Election Officer for a by-election.  The Deputy Chief is Findlay Sinclair. Now that an Elections Officer has been selected, a by-election must be held no later than 80 days from now and it must be on a Saturday.  That would mean the most likely date for a ballot, if there is to be a new Director sworn in at the January 18th meeting, would be January 13th , 2007.

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