MLA Dan Ashton plans on resigning as mayor today

PENTICTON — MLA Dan Ashton plans on resigning as mayor and as chair of the regional board today.

Ashton was at his home in Summerland on Wednesday. On Tuesday he was sworn in as MLA in Victoria. He won the right in the May 14 general election when he beat NDP candidate Richard Cannings by 1,397 votes. Ashton also won out against B.C. First candidate Doug Maxwell and BC Conservative Party candidate Sean Upshaw. Upshaw will be running against Premier Christy Clark in the upcoming Westside-Kelowna byelection.

Ashton said he wants to tender his resignation in person at city hall and at the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen board office where he is the chair. He has served as mayor for one-and-a-half terms and as a councillor for three terms. He's been the regional board chair for 10 years.

Ashton has said if he was elected as MLA he would help pay the cost of the city's byelection.

Ashton can expect to get assistance learning the ropes as a new MLA. "There's very helpful people in government," he said. He does not know when the business of the legislature will resume. "I'll have to ask the premier."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065 or tweet @shannonquesnel1