Courtenay councillor David Frisch says he is hoping to continue working with council following calls for his resignation.
The statement comes after council voted at the end of April to censure Frisch, imposed sanctions and called for his immediate resignation related to a legal issue.
Frisch was placed on mandatory leave after an incident with his wife that led to charges in January. Frisch says he and his wife of 10 years got into an argument that became physical, and his wife called the police.
“In hindsight, she really regrets that and at the time I think she thought it was the right thing to do. Looking back now, it’s obvious the solution to our marriage issues weren’t going through the legal system,” said Frisch.
“We’re doing really great; we’ve managed to get out of the legal system and move on with working on our relationship. We’re just trying to move on and do our best at this point.”
Frisch adds he was not convicted of any charges and court documents say he agreed to a one-year peace bond. He says and his wife are attending counselling and learning how to deal with their issues while remaining calm.
Elected to council in 2014, Frisch adds that while he has been requested to resign, he wants to continue work he has started in the community and address issues close to him.
“There’s a lot of work to do that I feel passionate about. A lot of the work with climate change adaptation, a lot of the work around keeping our downtown healthy and vibrant and a lot of work on development and making sure we grow in a responsible way,” said Frisch.
“I feel that people that elected me, elected me because of the views I have on that and so I want to stay true to that and I still feel like I have a lot to give back to the community.”
Council voted to censure Frisch for the remainder of his term at the end of April, and he has been removed from the acting mayor rotation, all applicable committees, commissions, boards and any other council appointments.
Frisch cannot attend external meetings or conferences either.
“I would like to make clear that I understand completely how sensitive the topic of violence can be for our community, for my fellow councilmates and how challenging this has been to have this come up from a leader in the community,” said Frisch.
“I have a lot of hope for continuing to work with council and I really do respect their decision to put up that censure for me. I hope I can make amends with the community and show that there’s still value to be had with me working with council.”
