Reeve Bruce Beattie will take a six-week leave of absence starting next month and will serve out at least the rest of his second year on council, he told the Gazette last week.ìMy intention is to stay on at least until the fall,î Beattie said Thursday.ìI will have made a final decision about what I'm going to do in August or September.îAt the end of the year, Beattie said he was considering his options regarding his future on council following the death of his wife Val from liver cancer on Christmas Eve.His leave of absence is scheduled to start Feb. 9 and go to the end of March, and will include a period of time overseas.ìI'm doing a walkabout Ö to the Far East, I think, for a little while. My brother and I are going to take a trip,î he said.ìI just have to get away.îDeputy reeve Patricia McKean will serve as acting reeve in Beattie's absence.Beattie, 64, was elected reeve by council in October after serving almost a year as deputy reeve.
