Nelson Mayor Resigns, Riles Predecessor in Process

Nelson Mayor Mike Haviland has resigned. In a letter yesterday Haviland cited the shift in the city’s form of government as the reason for his departure. Over the last four years, Neslon has shifted from a strong mayor-weak council format to a strong council-weak-mayor format. And recently, council voted to give city clerk Brandy Edwards the additional role of city manager, with certain authorities not designated to the mayor.

“In my opinion,”

Haviland wrote in his letter,

“a more workable solution for the City of Nelson would be to revise the city’s current Strong Mayor charter form of government, to a city manager form of government. This would clarify the role, power and expectation of the mayor position for future mayoral candidates and would create a legal de facto form of government.”

He went on to say that he is resigning to facilitate the change. FYN has requested a copy of the letter.

Similarly, former Nelson Mayor David Leister made a public comment during the May 6th council meeting about Haviland. He first thanked council for passing the recent gun ordinance and said he plans to take a gun safety course this month, to learn how to safely handle a firearm, which he said he could’ve done with or without the ordinance because the law is obligatory.

“What comes to my concern,”

he said,

“is that Mayor Haviland took it upon himself, as the mayor and spokesman for the City of Nelson, to approach the chief of police, (and) asked how I could be kept from owning or being in possession of firearms, based on his assertion that I am a felon.”

Leister said he was deeply disturbed by the mayor’s action, calling it unacceptable.

“Certainly, there have been times when you and I have discussed things that you would have liked to done if you would have had the power back the old mayor had, me,” Leister said, “Such as removing people from office, Brandy and the chief (Mitchell).”

He went on to say that during these conversations the mayor never accused Leister of being a felon.

“I am not a felon,”

Leister said.

Mayor Haviland was elected November 2012 and his resignation effective May 14th.