EDITORIAL – Lockout of mayor and council makes it clear who’s in charge

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

NOW WE KNOW for sure who’s in charge at City Hall. It’s not the mayor. It’s not even councillors. It’s administration.

Some might say that’s always been the case. And I harken back to my first day on the job there when I was informed, “You are not in charge around here. We are.”

It’s just never been quite so blatant until yesterday, when Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson arrived at City Hall through the side door that accesses his office and that of his administrative assistant.

He soon found that his key fob to the door out to the front reception area no longer works.

“I can’t even get to the bathroom,” he told me. (The bathroom usually used by mayor and councillors is downstairs in the basement and just off the hallway between the mayor’s office and the front entrance.)

“Somebody’s flexing their muscles. I was quite shocked.”

All he knew at the time was that civic operations director Jenn Fretz was the one to speak to about it and he was hoping for an emailed explanation.

However, Fretz did confirm later in the afternoon that the mayor is, indeed, barred from the front area where staff work. Not only that, so are all the other members of council.

At this writing, a lot of questions need answering, such as who on the staff made this decision? Was it voted on by senior administrators, or was it unilateral? And what’s the point? Why now? Was there any consultation with mayor and council before the decision was made? Exactly what was said in the closed meeting at which mayor and councillors were told of the “corporate decision” to change key fob access? (Hamer-Jackson was there but he clearly didn’t get the full drift of what was being explained.)

I’m curious about Fretz saying it was OK to tell council about it in a closed-door meeting because it didn’t involve council having to make a decision, that it was “a private update” rather than “a closed decision.”

This sounds to me like a clear violation of procedure. Under the rules for in camera council meetings it’s not permitted to raise topics for discussion (whether or not it requires a council motion) that aren’t clearly covered by the Community Charter sections that must be recorded as the rationale for the closed meeting. You can’t just add “private updates.”

According to Fretz, it’s all to protect staff members from bullying while a “security audit” is undertaken. Any of the nine elected council members must now be escorted by a staff member if they go into staff areas such as, say, one of the meeting rooms. When their business is done, they must leave. They are regarded as “visitors” in City Hall. No “surprises” please.

If I understand it correctly, the mayor or councillors are still allowed into “public” areas of City operations, so presumably they could walk through the front door and speak with staffers as long as they’re on the correct side of the counter.

Is there any evidence that councillors have been bullying staff? Or that councillors are spending too much time talking to staff? Otherwise, why the need to restrict all of them?

This is full of absurdities. When did meeting rooms become the domain of staff members only? Did whoever made this decision think at all about the optics? Did they consider that the public might think naming all nine members of council in the ban might look as though it’s just a move to deflect possible suspicion that it’s another sanction against the mayor?

Why is Fretz out front as staff spokesperson instead of acting CAO Byron McCorkell?

And was there any consideration for the fact that it creates more turmoil and appearance of dysfunction at City Hall than ever?

So, if the mayor wants to get to any of the “public” areas in City Hall, he’ll have to either cut through council chambers or go out his side door, walk down to the parking lot and up the stairs to the front entrance.

Good grief. Staff locking out City council members. Just when you think things can’t get any more ridiculous….

Stay tuned.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.