I wouldn’t expect your average fella on the street to know this, but someone first elected to council in 1997 who eventually went on to be the mayor for three years should probably have a better handle on the rules of his office than now ex Mayor of Brockville, Ontario Jason Baker apparently does. Like dude. Seriously. How does this even happen? I wish I was more informed about the goings on in Brockville. That I’m not tells me that the place must be better managed day to day than the impression I’m left with here, but holy hell.
The mayor of Brockville, Ont., has resigned after buying a “dream home” outside the city and inadvertently disqualifying himself from holding the office.
In a statement posted Wednesday on the city’s website, city council announced Jason Baker had stepped down as he was “no longer qualified to hold office due to his non-residency status within the city of Brockville.”
Baker was quoted in that statement as saying he didn’t realize the home purchase would render him ineligible for the job.
“It has been an absolute honour to represent this beautiful city,” Baker said. “I regret that the purchase of my dream home has unknowingly caused this issue and will keep me from finishing some of the work that we all started together.”