by Flavio Nienow - Lakes District News
Burns Lake Mayor Luke Strimbold announced Sept. 15 he was resigning from office effective immediately.
Strimbold said he made this decision after careful consideration and that he had “mixed emotions.”
“I have sincerely enjoyed the last five years serving as Burns Lake’s mayor,” he said in a statement.
“I have appreciated the opportunity to work with so many great people; I have truly learned a lot about service and how important local government is to the well being of our communities.”
Strimbold was first elected as a councillor during a by-election in late 2010. He he took office as mayor in 2011, holding the distinction of being the youngest mayor in British Columbia, and the second youngest mayor in Canada at the age of 21. He was re-elected as mayor in 2014.
According to Strimbold, he won’t be going too far as he currently works in his family’s forestry company assisting with operations management.
“I’m staying in Burns Lake and going to spend more time focusing on our family, company, pursuing educational opportunities, and most importantly spending quality time with my family.”
Burns Lake council is expected to appoint a chief election officer during the next council meeting on Sept. 28. The chief election officer will be responsible for setting a by-election date to elect the new mayor.
Sheryl Worthing, Chief Administrative Officer for the Village of Burns Lake, explained that if councillors choose to run for mayor, they have until Oct. 5 to resign as councillors. If councillors choose to run for mayor, they will no longer be a part of council until the by-election date.