Bancroft Council will have to fill a vacant seat in the next few weeks.
Councillor Bill Kilpatrick announced his resignation on Saturday morning, saying he doesn’t think he can continue to work with the current council.
The town says someone will probably be appointed to the role because the next municipal election is just a few months away. The issue will be in front of council on April 10th, unless a special meeting is called before that. Mayor Paul Jenkins says council will continue to move forward, and looks forward to welcoming a new member to the table who is willing to jump in and be of service to the community.
Last week, council voted to hire an integrity commissioner to investigate workplace harassment allegations made against Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick says he believes this is retaliation for a code of conduct complaint he had submitted in November. Once the integrity commissioner’s investigation is complete, a report will be made public.
The town has also hired external legal representation to investigate ongoing complaints and grievances between Kilpatrick and staff members, on top of hiring an integrity commissioner. The town says it doesn’t know if the investigation will continue with Kilpatrick gone.