Former Saint John councillor Sean Casey. (Staff photo)
Former Saint John councillor Sean Casey has revealed he’s been in Mexico since early 2021.
Casey was removed from council Monday after missing four consecutive council meetings.
His father, Larry Casey, said he spoke to his son last weekend when Sean called to let him know where he was.
“He didn’t say anything, just ‘I’m in Cancun and I’ll be back in a couple weeks,'” Casey said. “I told him about Councillor (John) MacKenzie asking where he is, and what would happen if he missed the next meeting.”
In a Facebook message to our newsroom on Wednesday, Sean Casey confirmed he remains in Mexico.
Larry Casey said this is not unusual behaviour for his son, noting he usually takes off once or twice a year to relax.
He said Sean told him he’d try to connect for Monday’s virtual council meeting, but he was unable to.
Mayor Don Darling said Casey had reached out by email to let the rest of council know he would be away in early January.
Darling reached out to advise against Casey travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have no authority to let a council member do anything,” said Darling. “I explained to him it was not recommended, and he would be responsible for any implications.”
The Local Governance Act stipulates that a council seat is declared vacant when a councillor misses four or more consecutive regular meetings, except in the case of illness or with authorization from council.
Casey did not indicate his absences were a result of illness and they were not authorized by council, according to city staff.
The Ward 2 seat will remain unfilled until this May’s municipal elections. According to the Local Governance Act, a municipal byelection cannot take place within 12 months of a scheduled general election.
