Former mayor calls on West Vancouver’s current mayor to step down

For seven years Mike Smith served as Mayor of West Vancouver. Now he’s calling on the current mayor, Mark Sager, to step down.

“Unfortunately Mayor Sager has admitted to professional misconduct and misappropriation of quite a lot of money from an estate that he was executor of,” Smith told Global News.

“I think he should step down.”

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In February, the Law Society of B.C. suspended Sager’s law license for two years after he admitted professional misconduct.

He’s also being investigated by Port Moody Police amid allegations of campaign finance irregularities related to the 2022 election.

A special prosecutor was recently assigned to the file.

Smith said he has asked Sager to do the right thing and quit, despite having supported his run for office.

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“I thought based on his past experience, that that was something he could bring to West Van and he would be the best candidate, but obviously my faith was misapplied,” he said.

A West Vancouver resident recently launched an online petition urging Sager’s resignation, which Smith said he would sign.

“Politics works on trust and basically you have to trust in the people doing the job,” he said.