Former West Van mayor Mike Smith calls on current Mayor Mark Sager to resign

A former mayor of West Vancouver is calling on the current mayor to resign following a recent law society suspension for professional misconduct.

Michael Smith, who was previously mayor of the municipality for seven years – and who until recently counted himself as a supporter of the current mayor – said publicly this week it’s time for Mark Sager to step down.

Smith helped get Sager elected and encouraged others to do the same in the lead up to the 2022 civic election. He also supported Sager when he narrowly lost to Mary-Ann Booth in 2018.

But in both public comments and a letter to the editor this week, Smith said it’s time for Sager to step aside.

Sager’s actions in the handling of an elderly client’s estate – detailed in an agreement with the law society that has resulted in Sager’s suspension – have shaken Smith’s belief that his former political friend should continue to sit in the mayor’s chair.

“I think he should resign,” said Smith this week.

“You want to believe in your public elected officials,” said Smith. “Somebody that we trust to represent us, we find out they’re not honourable people. It’s not good.”

Smith said he found Sager’s actions detailed in the law society decision “not acceptable,” adding that “it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

In 2020, Sager was fined $20,000 and ordered to pay a further $20,000 in legal fees by the law society after being found guilty of professional misconduct that involved directing a will be prepared for his godmother that named Sager as one of the beneficiaries. The new will had the effect of cutting out one of the woman’s relatives while including Sager and his sister.

Smith said when that decision was made public, he had a discussion with Sager about it.

“I was agonized about it. I met with him,” he said. “And of course, he had an explanation for everything. This was just a misunderstanding. People didn’t understand.”

But Smith says at this point, he’s done with explanations.

“The point of that is, he’s a lawyer, and it’s a position of trust. You’re dealing with other people’s money. Just like the mayor is dealing with a lot of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“I just don’t think we can have a mayor who doesn’t have a sense of ethics,” he said. “I don’t think that’s acceptable. Not acceptable to me.”

Smith said since making his views known, he’s heard from several people in West Vancouver who he encouraged to support Sager in the last election.

“Now they’re reminding me of that, wondering what the hell I was doing,” he said. “I said ‘I made a mistake.’”

As a former mayor, Smith said he’s aware there is no way to force a local politician out of office.

“But at least I can feel better about myself that I stood up and did something,” he said.

Smith isn’t the only one calling for Sager’s resignation.

In the past week, West Vancouver resident Christine Haebler also started an online petition calling for Sager to step down for similar reasons.

Haebler is a filmmaker who doesn’t usually get involved with politics.

But “I voted for him,” she said. “I encouraged other people to vote for him.... There’s a lot of good people on his team who I really liked.”

Haebler said when people questioned Sager’s previous citation for professional misconduct by the law society ahead of the 2022 election, “he just glossed it over completely. He said it was a misunderstanding that was being cleared up.”

But the latest suspension is “a whole different matter,” she said.

Haebler said if Sager had “come clean” and acknowledged making a mistake, she could have accepted that.

But now, she said she questions the mayor’s integrity.

“If you want to get our vote, and you want to lead this community, the basic minimum here is integrity and honesty. And it should be for everybody,” she said.

Haebler said she started the petition “to send a message that people do care about these things.”

“I don’t wade into politics very easily,” she said. “You can complain and complain and complain…. I feel well maybe it’s time to speak up.”

Not everyone thinks Sager should resign as mayor as a result of his law society suspension.

Nigel Malkin, who also supported Sager in the last election, said he has also read the law society documents and still trusts Sager and feels he’s done a good job for the municipality.

“I don’t think he should step down,” said Malkin. “I feel confident with him remaining as our mayor.”

As of press time, Sager had not responded to a North Shore News request for comment.