TORONTO, Ont. – Toronto Councillor Michelle Berardinetti has resigned from Mayor Rob Ford’s 13-member executive committee, saying she wants to be more “independent.”

She told the Toronto Star she feels constrained and wants the freedom to vote the way her ward wants her to vote.

Berardinetti said her decision should, in no way, be looked at as a condemnation of the mayor’s policies.  

Councillor Jaye Robinson, who was considering leaving the committee, has decided to stay put.