Should the mayor resign, or take a leave? It’s not complicated
KAMLOOPS — Here’s a way to settle the question of what Mayor Peter Milobar should do if he’s elected as an MLA on May 9.
The question is whether he should resign immediately — which would force a costly by-election under the Local Government Act — or go on leave until January 2018 and then resign — which wouldn’t.
The best course of action is clear — he should wait until January 2018 before pulling the plug, meanwhile taking a leave of absence. The first obvious reason is that a by-election would cost the taxpayers up to $160,000. The second is that, if a by-election is held, it probably wouldn’t be until this September.
Theoretically, it could be a month or two sooner but in July and August everybody is at the beach and not in a mood for politics, which would mean an embarrassingly low turnout. Even in September, the voter turnout will be in the one-figure range — that is, likely less than 10 per cent, based on history.