Black Diamond councillor resigns seat

Andrew Dunning announced he will resign his seat on Black Diamond council, six months after being voted in. With the next election only seven months away, it is unclear if a byelection will be called to fill his seat.

Dunning received 407 votes during the 2021 municipal election. It was his first time on council.

In an April 25 Facebook post, Dunning said he made the decision to resign after a lot of thought. He wrote that his business has been very busy after COVID-19 and his travelling schedule does not allow him to effectively participate in Town Council and Committees.

“I cannot in good conscience continue to receive the honorarium from the town(sic),” he wrote.

The amount of the payment is $12,000 per year for councillors in Black Diamond, paid on a monthly basis.

Dunning said things changed so quickly with the world opening up. He is able to travel again for work and things really picked up for his company.

"We're really, really busy," Dunning said.

He was absent from last week’s regular council and special council meetings.

Mayor Brendan Kelly said there were no concerns leading up to Dunning’s resignation, which he called “unexpected.”

“Andrew (Dunning) always performed and completed any of the work that was required,” Kelly said.

Black Diamond CAO Sharlene Brown received Dunning’s written resignation shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25. She said resignations from council members are effective the day they are received by the CAO.

Brown said it is unclear if a byelection will be called, given the upcoming amalgamation of Black Diamond and Turner Valley.  

“Because we are going through the process that we’re going through, I actually have to check with Municipal Affairs to see how this all is going to play out," she said.

An election will be held in November to decide the mayor and councillors for the new municipality of Diamond Valley.

Kelly said that the Black Diamond and Turner Valley councils have a higher workload due to the upcoming amalgamation, with about four more meetings every month than a council would have during a regular term.