A mayor from Metro Vancouver wants municipalities to have the ability to kick out elected officials who’ve been convicted of a criminal offence.
Pitt Meadows Mayor John Becker wants the provincial government to change B.C.’s community charter to make that happen.
“I’ve been aware for a very long time that this was a deficiency,” Becker said.
He will be tabling a motion at the Lower Mainland Local Government Association conference on Wednesday to give municipalities more power when it comes to removing elected officials.
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The move comes after former Pitt Meadows councillor David Murray was convicted and sentenced to nine months in jail for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl more than two decades ago.
“I had no authority, council had no authority to demand a resignation or even suspend with or without pay,” Becker said. “It was merely my ability to personally prevail upon the individual that resulted in his resignation, which had been demanded by the community.”
Murray was first elected to Pitt Meadows council in 2011. He remained at his post as a city councillor for several days after the conviction, amid massive public pressure to step down, which included a petition signed by thousands of Pitt Meadows residents and calls for his removal by two other councillors.
If passed, the motion will go to the Union of B.C. Municipalities for debate and resolution in September.
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