After suffering a stroke and spending the past 19 months on medical leave, Powell River Regional District Electoral Area B director Stan Gisborne has indicated that he wants to return his seat.
Gisborne informed regional district staff of his plans by email on Tuesday, April 25. His chosen alternate, Electoral Area B alternate director Alan Rebane, has been sitting in for Gisborne since September 2015.
“Alan has done a commendable job for the last year and a half, but it is time for a change,” Gisborne stated in the email announcing his return.
Gisborne also stated that would like to appoint Ted Belyea to replace Rebane as alternate, but he is not able to do that until he resumes his post, according to board chair Patrick Brabazon.
At the regional district board meeting on Thursday, April 27, Rebane told the board that the current meeting would likely be his last.
“I certainly commend Stan for returning to his position,” Rebane told the board. “It has been a long, tough battle for him. It has been a privilege to serve the residents of Area B.”
Rebane said after the meeting that if Gisborne is coming back prepared, able to resume his duties and debate, he would step aside. But if he is not ready to return, then Gisborne should consider stepping down to allow for a by-election, he said.
“Area B deserves strong representation,” said Rebane.
Rebane added that he is not sure why Gisborne wants to replace him, other than possibly because he has not always voted the same way Gisborne may have. But, under the Local Government Act, alternate directors are not required to consult on which way to vote, he added.
Brabazon stated that because Gisborne is on a Local Government Act-sanctioned leave, he will be permitted to exercise his ability to change his chosen alternate director once he officially returns.
However, before Gisborne resumes his duties, he will have to prove to his colleagues that he is up to the task.
“I’m pleased to hear that director Gisborne feels well enough to return,” said Brabazon, after the meeting. “There are requirements governing the role of a director and we need to assurance that those requirements can be met, plus we need assurance that his health and safety are going to be respected.”
According to Gisborne, his brain-stem stroke left him with locked-in syndrome and affected his voluntary motor control.
“It did not affect my cognitive abilities,” he stated in an email.
Gisborne said that his voice has not yet fully recovered, but he is able to communicate using an iPad.
“With this technology, I can effectively communicate,” he stated. “I look forward to returning to my 10th term as the director of Area B.”
Gisborne is being asked that he provide a letter from his doctor certifying that he is medically fit to return to his duties. He is also being asked for a meeting with regional district staff so everyone can gain a better understanding of any limitations Gisborne may have and how those limitations can be supported.
