John Dooley says his mayoral duties are more pressing than his responsibilities to junior hockey.
Dooley has resigned as the Nelson Leafs president following his victory in October’s Nelson mayoral election. Dooley said he could no longer commit the time required by the Leafs, and added he wanted to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
“The bottle depot is in the midst of offering up a couple new programs down there that are through the regional district, but of course the City of Nelson is part of the regional district. That, plus the time commitment — it was more than I could take care of,” he said Monday.
Dooley has been working with the hockey team since the early 1980s, having served previous terms as both a director and president.
His departure marks the end of a family era with the team. Dooley’s son Sean also left the Leafs last season after serving several years as an assistant coach and one season as general manager.
Dooley said he was pleased with the direction of the Leafs during his last tenure as president.
“When I got elected to the board there were really good people there but they were [just] starting to pull the organization together,” said Dooley.
“It needed somebody who could help with the hockey operations, getting that back on track, and also the business side, which is [the] recycling centre. I had the time on my hands to concentrate on those two pieces.”
The team has not yet announced who will replace Dooley.
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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