CITY HALL – Mayor withdraws names of volunteers from standing committee

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson has rescinded his appointments of community members to standing committees.

The mayor sent out a notice Friday (March 24, 2023) to City councillors and key staffers announcing his decision. He told the Armchair Mayor on the weekend the letter was leaked to media within an hour and a half of the time he sent it.

Hamer-Jackson said he didn’t want the community members who agreed to serve on committees becoming “targets” in the controversies at City Hall, and hopes they will serve as volunteers in future.

The appointments had angered the eight councillors, who earlier called a media conference to object to them, then followed up with a lambasting at a special council meeting last Tuesday.

Councillors were also angered that Hamer-Jackson shuffled several of them out of chairing committees, replacing them with people from the community. He said Sunday he doesn’t yet know what he’ll do about the chairs — he’ll wait to see what recommendations come from the three-member special committee to be appointed by Deputy Mayor Kelly Hall.

Here’s the text of his letter:

March 24, 2023

Good evening,

Following Senior administration and Council putting Standing Committee work on hold so a new Committee can review procedure/processes/mandates of the Standing Committees, which will take considerable time, I’ve withdrawn the names of the volunteers listed in my earlier e-mail.

I don’t want people feeling they did something wrong by volunteering to serve the city. Based on reporting and Council discussions about their ability to keep confidences, avoid conflicts, motives for wanting to volunteer, etc. Nor do I want volunteers somehow to become targets for what is going on in City Hall.

Once Council/senior staff do whatever it is that is proposed, I hope people I listed will still see a role for themselves when the mayor asks them again if they’d volunteer to help our city.

We have important community needs that won’t be going away while a new Committee reviews what existing Committees could be doing right now.

I am thanking the persons listed for being prepared to volunteer and I sincerely hope what’s gone on doesn’t turn them away from volunteering for the city.

Bill Swaine
Jim Budnaryk
Debora Newby
Sonny Lenard
Bud Smith
Brandon Coyle
Randy Sunderman
Tom Caine
Darpan Sharma

Sincerely,
Reid Hamer-Jackson, Mayor
City of Kamloops