On Friday, March 31st, Marie-Térèse Little shocked the people of Metchosin when she announced she was resigning as mayor.
Former mayor Little had been a member of the municipal council since 2018 and had been serving her first term as mayor since she was voted in this past October.
Even more shocking, the remaining council members released a statement saying Jesse Roper, a homegrown rock and blues musician beloved by all, was going to take over as the District of Metchosin’s new mayor.
Back in 2006, the District of Metchosin’s former mayor and council put forth the motion to pass a bylaw which would grant the council the ability to select the successor should their mayor ever choose to step down. This is the first time the bylaw has ever been used by council.
When asked why she chose to step down, former mayor Little told Victoria Buzz it was because the people of Metchosin are too gullible.
“They’ll just believe anything they’re told,” said Little. “It’s like, they go on the internet and believe every word they read by any old news outlet.”
“I’ve been approached by people who are upset about increased taxes to people driving Ford F-150s and Happy Valley Road being converted to bicycle only traffic that council never even spoke about.”
“They just read it and instantly believe it.”
Many people in Greater Victoria have been loud in their outrage that Jesse Roper had not announced any Vancouver Island concerts up until the Phillips Backyard lineup announcement earlier this week, and now they know why he was holding off.
He had been in talks with former mayor Little and the district’s council for months and knew that he would have little to no time for the pursuit of his music career while he pivoted to his passion for municipal politics.
Victoria Buzz sat down with Roper at the My Chosen Café on March 31st in light of this announcement and asked him; why politics and why now?
“Well, I’ve just had enough of going through the motions in my music career,” said Roper. “I’m tired of playing on the island and people on the mainland just don’t seem down to come out to my shows.”
“Everyone knows I love this town and they shouldn’t be too surprised, some people even call me the Metchosin-one,” Roper laughed.
Roper said the show at Phillips Backyard in August will be his grand finale performance and after that, he is putting down the guitar and taking off the vest and he’s picking up a briefcase and a suit in their stead.
Being a lover of the outdoors landscapes and Metchosin’s many parks, Roper has organized with the council and district staff that his swearing-in ceremony will take place at Witty’s Lagoon at low tide this coming Monday.
“Man, it’s just so beautiful there,” Roper told Victoria Buzz. “It’s always been my favourite place to smoke a joint and chill, so I figured it would be a good place to begin on my new path in politics.”
Roper will be swearing his oath of office in a public event at Witty’s Lagoon on Monday, April 3rd at 4:20 p.m.
