Amid a petition to remove the mayor, Bryan Peever, and council member Trina Anderson as Village of Carbon Council members, Councillor Brian McHugh has announced he is stepping down from council.
In a letter delivered June 6, Councillor McHugh states, “Due to complications in my busy life I need to retire from politics and focus on my family and growing business.”
Despite the early exit, he says he has made a difference.
“I got done everything I set out to do. As a businessman, I move pretty quickly, so I was happy with the position the village was in when I made this decision,” he said. “We have been able to bring more businesses in, we are poised for growth with the businesses. I was able to change the bylaws that I wanted to change to make it more friendly for business, that was one of the major reasons I ran.”
He also noted in his resignation letter he is encouraged that “The infrastructure is coming into fruition and I look forward to the much-needed upgrades.”
“We spent about $87,000 on the infrastructure plan, and I totally agreed with it going forward to borrow the money to fix the infrastructure. Unfortunately, there was a hiccup with the vote of the electoral. People spoke, but unfortunately, interest rates went up.”
“With that now set in place and the plan set in place, someone like myself with such a busy schedule, doesn’t need me to hold someone’s hand to walk them along this.”
“My apologies for the letdown for some people, but it would benefit Carbon to have a person with more dedication than what I can perform.”
He does note he leaves the council at a time when the community is divided.
A petition was instigated in April of this year to recall the mayor and one councillor. The proponents of the recall have until June 26 to collect signatures from 40 percent of the community to be successful. This equates to 200 signatures.
The province passed an amendment to the Municipal Government Act in 2022 that allows electors to petition to recall an elected official. This includes MLAs, municipal officials and school board trustees. Recalls can be instigated 18 months after an election.
After a petition has been verified, the recall petitioner has 60 days to collect signatures. The recall petition must be signed by 40 per cent of the population of the municipality. A notice of recall can only be submitted once per member of council in a term.
If the petition is successful, the position is declared vacant at the next council meeting. If a member of the council is recalled, a by-election will be called to fill the vacant seat.
