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ENTERPRISE
Jim Dives has resigned as Enterprise's deputy mayor over council's handling of a decision not to renew the contract of the community's senior administrative officer (SAO).

Jim Dives: deputy mayor of the Hamlet of Enterprise has resigned.

Dives, who remains a councillor, resigned as deputy mayor at council's Oct. 1 meeting.

The next day he submitted a letter to the hamlet office to confirm his resignation.

In the letter, he noted no action has been taken by council as a result of a legal opinion about possible conflict of interest in the job evaluation process of the SAO.

"I cannot support inaction by the mayor and council in this matter, since being open and above board means that motions by council must be acted upon, and results of legal opinions should be acted upon and released to the citizens of the hamlet," he wrote.

Almost all of the process which concern Dives occurred during in-camera meetings of council.

"I can't comment on what's been going on in camera," he said in an interview with News/North.

In his resignation letter, he noted a motion was passed at the regular meeting of council in June to seek independent legal advice on potential conflict of interest in the SAO evaluation process, the mayor received the opinion on July 24 and e-mailed it to all councillors on Aug. 12, and a regular meeting was held on Aug. 13 at which no action was taken as a result of the legal opinion.

"In other words, they're ignoring it," Dives told News/North.

The now-councillor said he could not explain who the potential conflict of interest involved.

However, Dives did express a strong opinion that council was wrong not to renew the contract of SAO Peter Groenen.

"In my opinion, it's the blatant wrong thing," Dives said. "He hasn't done anything wrong. They've given him no reason."

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on Groenen's part.

At a meeting in July, council voted 4-2 not to renew Groenen's contract and he was given three months' notice as per the contract with the hamlet.

His last day on the job will be Oct. 10.

Groenen said it is council's decision on whether or not to renew his contract.

"They gave me notice required in my contract and that's it," he said.

The outgoing SAO noted all discussions by councillors were in camera and he has not been officially told why his contract was not renewed.

"They gave me no reason," he said.

Groenen, who has been SAO for the Hamlet of Enterprise since July of 2010, said he is disappointed his contract was not renewed.

Mayor Mike St. Amour declined to discuss the non-renewal of Groenen's contract or the reasons Dives gave for his resignation as deputy mayor.

"He has a right to his opinion," St. Amour said.

The hamlet is in the process of finding a replacement for Groenen.

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