西温居民呼吁市长马克萨杰下台

West Van locals request Mark Sager’s resignation as allegations of professional misconduct by the mayor surface for the second time.

On May 10, 2018, the Law Society issued a citation to Mark Sager and he was eventually found to have committed two instances of professional misconduct and fined. He was aware of this citation while running for mayor in 2018.

On Sept. 19, 2019, the Law Society notified him of a new investigation and he acknowledged its letter on Sept. 20, 2019. A citation was issued Sept. 29, 2022 – two weeks before the election alleging five instances of professional misconduct. Mr. Sager was aware of this investigation and citation while running for mayor in 2022.

On Oct. 14, one day before the election, his lawyer advised the Law Society that an application for anonymization would be made. Mr. Sager requested the citation be published without identifying him or any other identifying information, suggesting extraordinary circumstances, defined as “impaired municipal operations” and “reputational damage and mental health challenges.” His motion for anonymity was dated Nov. 4 – three days before being sworn in as mayor.

The application was dismissed but the decision was not issued until Dec. 1 with the citation finally becoming public via the media on Dec. 7. Had it not been dismissed, when and how would we ever have known about it?

Mr. Sager says it would have been improper to confirm the citation before it was publicly issued. But he applied for anonymity to keep it from going public. And a rumour about the investigation circulated during the campaign. Rather than risk derailing his campaign he chose not to disclose what he knew to be true. He is responding publicly now because he has no choice.

Mr. Sager claims the allegations are “inaccurate and unfair,” “incredibly painful” and will unfairly “cloud our administration.” He asks us to give him the benefit of the doubt. Really? The mayor is not the victim here. As the Law Society states, he was “aware of his prior professional misconduct along with the citation prior to being elected and put the residents of the district in this position.”

This is a distraction for the mayor and affects his ability to govern. We have to be able to trust our chief executive officer and believe in his honesty and integrity.

The allegations are serious. This is the second time for Mr. Sager. He needs to do the right thing and resign. I call on council and senior staff to take the lead on resolving this untenable situation.

Melanie Hess
West Vancouver

Dear Editor:

We live in a time where West Vancouver needs a leader we can trust. As a young resident of this community, I am incredibly disheartened by the news that our Mayor has once again received a citation from the Law Society.

I am even more disheartened by the Mayor’s attempt to conceal his name from the public in the citation.