A petition seeking an investigation by Alberta Municipal Affairs into the conduct of Westlock County council has failed.
Circulated by former reeve Ken Mead, the petition required endorsement by one third of the constituents in the county for it to be considered by the department.
In the end the petition was able to gain 900 signatures, well short of the 1,600 required.
Mead now acknowledges he wasn’t able to reach the required threshold and won’t be submitting the appeal.
“Nothing is going to happen with it because we didn’t have the numbers and they won’t act on it,” he said.
Mead believes that it wasn’t through disinterest within the electorate that his campaign didn’t make it, but because there weren’t enough people on the ground getting signatures.
“It wasn’t because of lack of response, it was lack of people doing it,” he said. “People were very willing to sign it, it was just getting it out there.”
Despite not getting the required numbers, Mead remains positive about his effort and has no regrets.
He also still stands by his original reasons for starting the petition in the first place.
“I’m glad I undertook it, I feel good. I did what was necessary and I’m good with it,” Mead said.
“I’m happy with the people that helped me and the process. We did really well. I’m not going to say ‘disappointment’ because I’m proud of the stand I took.”
The failure of the petition looks to have signaled the end of Mead’s active involvement in local politics.
He’s stated previously that he was unwilling to seek election at any future county poll and now says he won’t attempt another petition either.
“No, I won’t, it’s not worth it,” said Mead.
He also doesn’t believe his action will bring about a change in approach by the current county administration, saying he thinks current councillors will be more cautious in style, but not substance.
“I don’t think it has changed their attitude whatsoever. I think it made them look over their shoulders, but I don’t think you can change the attitude of this council, they are beyond that,” Mead said.
Current reeve Bud Massey welcomed the news of Mead’s withdrawal of his petition.
“I’m pleased that the people in Westlock County have exercised their democratic right and I’m pleased that they have chose to be supportive of the positive efforts we have been trying to make to move forward,” he said.
Massey wouldn’t be drawn on the numbers the petition had gained saying he was not sure how accurate they were and that he was not exactly clear on why some people had chosen to sign it, but he did have an inkling.
“I would like to believe that with all the negative press we got that, it was a negative reaction,” he said. “I understand that, and I’m hoping that they will come to council and that they will express their concerns, or acceptance of what we do.”
He also said that council was addressing some of the issues raised as part of Mead’s grievances, although not because of them.
“We have the intention of opening up the council meeting prior, which now the provincial government is going to put into legislation. So we feel very esteemed by that,” Massey said.
“A lot of the things we initiated in our council, the changes, are now are being endorsed by the provincial government under the MGA (Municipal Government Act).”
The saga of Mead’s petition began late last year when he started circulating the document.
One third of a municipality’s constituents are required to endorse such a petition within 90 days before the department and the minister will consider it.
As part of his campaign, Mead and his group of volunteers went door-to-door across the county, as well as setting up stalls in town, in an attempt to get the numbers.
In February Mead said that he would still submit the petition even if it didn’t meet the minimum requirement, however he now accepts that Municipal Affairs wouldn’t consider it unless it reached the magic 1,600 number.
Mead’s petition isn’t the first and won’t be the last to find it’s way around the region.
Currently the Village of Clyde council is dealing with the fallout from a Municipal Affairs petition by one of its residents.
