Dismissed Victoria councillors weighing whether to run again

By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative

Some of the councillors who were thrown out of office when the Minister of Municipal Affairs disbanded the Town of Victoria’s council last fall say they may run again in a new election set for May 14.

Minister Chris Tibbs dismissed the council in mid December, just over two months after the municipal election, because of infighting between the mayor and some councillors and allegations of dysfunction at the Town Hall.

When contacted by The Shoreline, former mayor Frank Clarke and former councillor Shelley Dawe said they weren’t sure if they will seek re-election.

Former councillor Kelly Loch, meanwhile, said she plans to put her name forward again and has been encouraging some of the other dismissed councillors to do the same.

Former Deputy Mayor Denise Baker will not be running.

“My recent experience was not what I had hoped for, and it has been difficult to be associated with and blamed for situations in the community that I had no involvement with,” Baker said.

She added that while she was on council, she received late-night emails written to intimidate her. Baker said council begged Municipal Affairs to help with their situation, but they didn’t get the kind of aid they were hoping for.

“An investigation should’ve been done and dealt with the proper way instead of letting all the councillors go,” she said.

Baker said she is grateful for the support she has received from many Victoria residents but has decided to step away from council and prioritize her own well-being.

“I truly love my town, and I wanted to be involved, and I still wouldn’t mind helping out with events,” she said. “But I can’t be blamed for stuff that was done to me and others.”

Baker said she wishes the best to any of the other former councillors who decide to run.

“I’d like to apologize to the residents that this had to happen,” she said.

Former councillors Jim Layden, Freeman Parsons, and David White could not be reached for comment. However, Loch provided a statement on behalf of the former council.

“When we started our time as elected councillors with the Town of Victoria in October 2025, we did not know what to expect,” the statement read. “We knew we had important decisions to make for our residents, and we were trusted to make the correct decisions keeping in mind that we had rules, policies and procedures to follow. Unfortunately, not everyone wanted to follow rules, procedures and policies. Due to trying to protect mental health, some will not seek re-election. This is unfortunate, but understandable. It’s very frustrating when one is trying to make decisions and expect the rest to go along. This is not democracy. We were told to submit code of conduct complaints to Municipal Affairs, yet we did not receive help, but a letter stating council was dissolved. We cannot understand why we were dismissed when many of us did nothing wrong but want to follow the rules. Most councillors and staff were the victims of harassment, bullying and intimidation. Yet we were all dismissed. So now it’s time to go forward and hopes of having a good solid council to work together for the residents of our beautiful town. We truly hope that residents will take the time to think about who would make good reasonable decisions in our town in following rules, procedures and policies. When this doesn’t happen, we have chaos, but we remain optimistic and hopeful for a good solid council elected by our residents.”