Jasper Town Council has voted to kill off the idea that the mayor should be appointed by council instead of elected directly by town residents, effectively shutting down official municipal debate on the matter for the foreseeable future.

Three councillors (Councillors Brian Skehill, Ralph Melnyk and Brenda Zinck) voted against a motion, which would have had council vote in two weeks on whether or not to elect the mayor.

The no vote, made during council’s Tuesday, April 20 general meeting, essentially means that the proposal to appoint the mayor could not even get past the most basic stages of organization.

The vote was tied 3-3, because Coun. Rico Damota had to leave council early for work obligations.

Split votes on Jasper Town Council are automatically defeated.

Had the vote passed, council would have voted in two weeks on first and second reading of a bylaw to appoint the mayor. Had that vote passed, a third vote reading would have occurred, accompanied with a public hearing.

“My understanding was really that council wanted to take this question to the public,” said Town Manager George Krefting.

Each of the councillors who voted against the measure said that every Jasperite who they had spoken to about the idea was already unanimously against it.

“The mayor is perceived to be the leader of the community and people want to have some say in it,” said Coun. Melnyk. He said that serving as mayor was a major commitment and the people of Jasper should know up front whether a person was going to be able to make that commitment.
“I’ve really just heard a lot of negatives against it,” said Councillor Zinck.

Councillor Gloria Kongsrud, who supported the idea Tuesday, said that she was voting for the motion because she felt that the public had not yet had an opportunity to fully understand the idea.

She advocated the idea as a way of keeping experienced voices on council. Should a race for the mayor occur, the losers of that race would not be able to serve as councillors under Albertan municipal law. If those losing candidates were people who may have won a seat as a councillor, then Coun. Kongsrud has said she worries council may be losing something valuable. An appointed mayor could possibly avoid these problems, she has stated.