Photo: Michael Potestio

Member of Parliament for Kamloops-North Thompson and now former mayor of the Barrière Stamer district.

Ward Stamer has officially submitted his resignation as mayor of Barrière, but it will be months before his replacement is elected.

The longtime politician made the announcement this week after winning his bid for the post of the next MP for Kamloops-North Thompson in the provincial election on October 19 this weekend.

Although Stamer would be allowed to hold both titles, he pledged, upon announcing his candidacy, to he would resign from his position as district mayor if he wins the fall election.

In a statement released earlier this week, Stamer said the resignation came “with mixed emotions” and a “heavy heart.”

“I am excited to embark on this new journey representing not only the residents of this community that I am so grateful to call home, but also all those who live, work and visit the beautiful North Thompson region,” can -we read in Stamer’s statement.

“I will continue to work hard to support and represent Barrière’s best interests as an MP and I wish each of my colleagues and friends, both on council and staff, all the best as you continue to serve our community .

Barrière District Chief Administrative Officer Daniel Drexler told Castanet Kamloops the date for a by-election has not yet been set, but staff plans to present a report to council on timelines for a by-election during its regular meeting on November 18.

Drexler said a chief elections officer would have to be chosen by council and at that point an election would be held within 80 days.

“Three to six months from now,” Drexler said, is the timeline for a Barrière mayoral by-election.

He said the law requires an election official to be appointed within a reasonable time.

“There is no specific time frame, however, I would consider three months to be reasonable for the board to determine that,” Drexler said, adding that it is. I don’t know if the elections will be held with internal staff or not.

Stamer had been on leave of absence to run in the upcoming provincial election since September 3, during which time Coun. Rob Kerslake served as acting mayor.

Before entering municipal politics, Stamer was a forestry contractor for nearly 40 years. He was elected to the Barrière municipal council after its incorporation in 2007, sold his business in 2015 and then successfully ran for mayor in 2018. He was re-elected mayor for a new term in 2022.

As mayor of Barrière, he also sat on the board of directors of the Thompson-Nicola regional district.