Tanya Foubert CANMORE
With a provincial election now officially underway, Ron Casey has said he will officially take a leave of absence from municipal politics.
Elected mayor in the fall of 2010, Casey went for the Progressive Conservative Party nomination earlier this year after MLA Janis Tarchuk indicated she would not run again in provincial politics.
Casey said he has not been collecting a paycheque since the beginning of February and has been performing his mayoral duties on a voluntary basis to avoid a perception of conflict.
However, now that the election writ has dropped he will not act as mayor or attend public meetings.
“There is nothing that says you must resign or take a leave of absence,” he said, adding he will ask council to make the leave of absence official by motion.
Canmore council maintains a rotation for the position of deputy mayor and for March and April Councillor Hans Helder is in that position and will take on the duties of mayor as a result.
The election has been called for Monday, April 23.
