Hope Jamieson, who will soon be a former St. John’s City Councillor, says there is a chance there might not be a by-election to replace her as the representative for Ward 2.
Jameson, a first-term councillor who was elected in 2017, announced Monday on her Twitter account that she will be stepping down after having been hired as program manager with the Community Housing Transformation Centre.
Since housing is a municipal concern, that would put Jamieson — who had been council's lead on housing — in a conflict of interest, hence her announced resignation.
1/ I announced today that I’ve accepted a new role as Program Manager with the Community Housing Transformation Centre. Housing has always been my first love and I’m thrilled to be working with the centre to fund transformative projects in this field.
— Hope Jamieson (@HopeforWard2) July 6, 2020
With more than a year before the next call to the municipal polls (set for the fall of 2021), a by-election is officially required. However, in tweeted replies to queries from reporters, including The Telegram’s David Maher, Jamieson suggested a by-election might not be necessary or even prudent, given uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In other words, she is holding out the possibility of her seat remaining vacant until the regular election in 2021.
“The mayor can ask the minister of (municipal) affairs for an exemption, given the close time(line) and current circumstances. Council will have to decide, but that seems like a reasonable course,” said Jamieson, who has also said she believes Ward 2 concerns could be covered by at-large councillors in the interim.
For now, Jamieson retains her seat, saying she, Mayor Danny Breen and the rest of council “will be working out the details of my departure over the next couple of weeks.”
Jamison’s announcement means there will be a shortfall of two councillors by the end of this year.
Councillor-at-large Dave Lane has already stated he will be stepping down this December. When Lane made that announcement in February, he listed his move outside of St. John’s (he purchased a house in Torbay) and a need to focus on his growing family as two of the main reasons for the decision.
