Birch Hills council chambers. (submitted photo)

By Nigel Maxwell

Building relationships

‘Our community is gelling and coming together again’: Birch Hills mayor

Nov 23, 2022 | 11:09 AM

Just over a year has passed since Stewart Adams was elected mayor of Birch Hills, and he says council is getting work done again.

The controversy leading up to the election in November, 2021, was widely publicized and led to the resignation of not only the mayor but also a councillor and administrator.

“There’s open discussions and various viewpoints on the table and decisions are being made,” Adams replied when asked about the current situation.

Among the reasons cited for the previous resignations were bullying and harassment. Adams confirmed council is now looking at some anti-harassment education for staff and council.

“We’re in the process of getting into that in some depth and I’m looking forward to everyone getting on the same page and that happens when there’s trust and respect from all sides,” he said.

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But the past year has not been entirely smooth. Another byelection was called in June when two councillors made the decision to leave the community. As well Adam’s election victory was challenged legally by another candidate who alleged his criminal record check had not been properly verified.

Adams explained he made the decision to step down, upon reflecting on the fact the court process was going nowhere and costing taxpayers money.

“So I said ‘what happens if I resign?'” he asked. “The lawyer for the other side said ‘Well I guess I’d have to drop the suit and so I did.'”

Adams then ran unopposed in the byelection and was re-elected.

“There’s no point being upset or frustrated by it, you just have to deal with it and try to always keep moving forward,” he explained, adding the challenge from the past was not brought up again.

Going forward, the town has a number of projects on its radar, including upgrades to its water treatment plant. Adams also confirmed the town has been approached by an industrial company regarding a site for a project.

Without providing specifics, Adams said council has some zoning and negotiation work to do.

On top of that the seniors’ club has been re-activated and the Civic Centre is getting a lot of bookings.

“Our community is gelling and coming together again and I’m looking forward to the next year,” Adams said.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell