BIBLE HILL, NS – Feeling he was being kept from serving the village to the best of his ability, Dwane Mellish resigned from the Bible Hill Village Commission this week.
He handed in a letter of resignation Wednesday afternoon.
“It was a very difficult decision for me,” he said. “I feel bad for the residents who elected me to service, but I felt I wasn’t serving well. I felt my right to be an active participant in some things was being unfairly impeded.”
Mellish feels the commission was unable to see the division of him as a commissioner and as a fire brigade officer. He said, since being elected in June 2017, he has been challenged many times on a potential conflict of interest.
“I’m aware there’s a conflict of interest if someone can make personal gains, but if someone is serving their community in more than one capacity – and one of those is as a volunteer firefighter – they shouldn’t be penalized,” he said.
Bible Hill Village Clerk Bob Christianson said he and the commissioners respect Mellish’s decision.
“He had his reasons and he felt strongly about his decision,” Christianson said. “It was personal and he did what he felt was best for him.
“He has a long history of volunteering in Bible Hill. We respect the decision he’s made and wish him the best.”
At the commission’s June 12 committee meeting, the Bible Hill fire chief’s recommendation that Mellish attend the Atlantic Fire Leadership Conference with him was on the agenda. The chief had already notified the village, which pays registration and travel expenses for those who attend, that no other senior officers were able to take part.
“I declared a conflict of interest and the Commission proceeded to discuss the request,” Mellish wrote in his resignation letter. “The discussion took place in the context of a Commissioner attending the AFL conference, not a fire officer.
“The Commission denied the recommendation of the Fire Chief to have Brigade Lt. and Secretary Mellish be the second brigade member attend the conference. It is my opinion that the debate on this recommendation did not consider the relevant statutes and the specific request of the Fire Chief; the discussion was wide-ranging and some was not relevant to the topic at hand. Parts of the discussion became quite personal and some comments were hurtful considering the individual who was being discussed.”
On June 19, Mellish spoke with commissioners in a closed session, which he felt created better understanding and would result in the request being reconsidered.
“During the open meeting, when the chair asked if there was any additional business before adjournment of the meeting, no commissioner brought forward the topic to be reconsidered,” he said. “That action sent a very strong message.”
Mellish pointed out the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act provides for people to act as both municipal representatives and firefighters at the same time, and people have done so in the past.
Mellish has been a volunteer firefighter in Bible Hill since November 1980, serving as chief for 10 years.
“When you look at what firefighters did this week, with the Dal AC fire – spending all night at a fire and then getting a couple hours sleep, that’s what we contribute as firefighters in this community,” he said. “I don’t think, because we do this, we should be penalized by not being allowed to serve in other areas. This is where I drew a line in the sand.”
