It seems Ed Wood is not finished with Harrison politics yet.
The ex-mayor, who resigned almost two months ago, has put in a nomination package to run for an empty council seat after John Allen resigned to run for mayor.
Wood's run as mayor had its fair share of dysfunction and controversy.
The four members of council at the time – which included Allen's predecessor, John Buckley – notified the former mayor of a vote of no confidence last February, losing the support of council only a few short months after the term began. Buckley would eventually resign due to a difficult working relationship between himself and Wood.
Over the course of the past two years, several council meetings collapsed – some before any of the agenda could be discussed, resulting in shouting matches, ejections and a growing backlog of village business.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs sent in independent facilitator Ron Poole to help council work more cohesively. Poole met with village officials in a series of closed meetings in 2023, at least two of which Wood did not attend.
Last August, Wood said he intended to form a standing committee to investigate "frivolous allegations" of bullying, harassment and workplace toxicity. If this standing committee did indeed exist, the members of this committee and the findings therein were never disclosed.
At the beginning of a council meeting this April, Wood accused council – minus Allen – of staging a coup against him. He sat in silence for the remainder of the council meeting as councillors demanded apologies until the meeting collapsed before the agenda could be approved.
In late May, Wood declared a state of local emergency (SOLE) concerning "imminent" wildfire danger. At the time, the closest wildfire to the village was 17 kilometres to the north. Under the SOLE, Wood allegedly entered the village in to a $175,000 contract with wildfire detection system manufacturer Sensenet and hired a forester for $10,000 to clear 50 meters of fuel along McCombs Drive and Eagle Street from McPherson Road to Naismith Avenue – all apparently without council's knowledge or consent.
The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness requested the SOLE be cancelled the following day, and Wood cancelled it. Council met a few days later to formally approve the contracts Wood allegedly signed.
Wood suddenly resigned on June 10, publicly thanking corporate officer Amand Graham and chief financial officer Scott Schultz for their professionalism. He did not respond to The Observer's request for further comment.
Wood is a nominator listed on Allen's mayoral nomination papers.
As of the end of the business day Tuesday, Wood is one of three individuals running for council. Opposing him are Harrison's Rocky Mountain Chocolate owner/operator Mark Schweinbenz and Uncle Jerry's Sharpening owner Gary Webster.
The nomination period is open until Aug. 15. Stay connected to The Observer for the latest.
