Second Baie-d'urfé councillor resigns in past two months
Another Baie-d'urfé councillor has resigned from town council.
Nicolas (Nick) Drouin, elected by acclamation last November, stepped down Monday. He served only six months of his four-year term.
On his Facebook page, Drouin said he resigned for personal reasons. “For personal reasons — through no fault of the council, the mayor, nor the administration which all continue to have my full support — I am resigning from my role as councillor,” he wrote. “It has been a pleasure to be at the service of the citizens of Baie-d'urfé since November, and I will continue to be a volunteer in those organizations I feel passionate about.”
Drouin's resignation follows that of longtime councillor Janet Ryan, who abruptly resigned in March.
In her public letter of resignation, Ryan said she was stepping down after 17 years on council because the town's bureaucracy was driving the agenda at town hall, instead of duly elected officials.
The town will now be holding two byelections in the near future to fill the vacant council seats.
“Councillor position 1 will be added to the byelection that will be called in the coming weeks to fill positions 1 and 3 currently vacant,” the town stated in a release Tuesday.
Council will also have to assign the responsibilities of Drouin to another member of council “to ensure continuity of operations.”
Drouin, one of six councillors in the town of 3,962 residents, was a member of the town's demolition committee.
Mayor Heidi Ektvedt could not be reached for comment, but she thanked Drouin in a statement.
“The mayor would like to thank councillor Drouin for his brief but considerable contribution to council and to the citizens of Baied'urfé.”