Merritt City Councilor Mike Bhangu has announced his resignation from Council, effective immediately.

“I resign from my position, effective immediately, as I do not have confidence in Mayor Linda Brown’s ability to lead, or represent each Council Member fairly,” Bhangu said, in a letter he sent to Mayor and Council on Monday.

“I would like to thank the people of Merritt for the opportunity to serve, and I thank all staff and Councillors for their efforts in making Merritt a great place to be.”

Bhangu was a first term city councillor in Merritt who was first elected in Oct. 2018. His resignation comes after significant friction with Mayor Brown at Merritt council meetings over the past several months.

“Elected service is an honour, and one in which we all must strive to do what we believe is right,” Mayor Linda Brown said, in a statement. “We wish Mike the best, and are sorry he wasn’t able to complete his term.”

“We are discussing with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs the appropriateness of a byelection in this situation, knowing that we are beginning our recovery from the worst disaster ever to hit Merritt, and that the deadline for not holding a byelection due to proximity to the General Election is only two weeks away.”

Bhangu is also facing criminal charges for “uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.” He was charged in August after the alleged offence on June 29, 2021.

“The allegations are coming from an uninvited individual who came to my home, placed my safety in question by virtue of being there, and had a problem with me asking him to leave my property. The allegations are untrue, period,” he told Merritt Radio Station, Q 101 when asked about the charges after a court appearance on Sept. 14.

According to court documents, a three day trial is scheduled in Merritt Courts, beginning April 27, 2022.

The next municipal election in B.C. is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.