CITY POLITICS – Mayor to put his Victoria Street West car lot up for sale

Posted on June 7, 2024 in 'Loops, City, City Hall, City Issues, News, Page One // 1 Comment

(Image: Google maps)

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is putting his Victoria Street West car lot up for sale.

Hamer-Jackson said today (June 7, 2024) he made the decision in order to get out from under allegations of conflict of interest over the property.

“I’m tired of being in conflict,” Hamer-Jackson said.

Since he became mayor, he’s been involved in a number of controversies related to his ownership of Tru Market Auto and Truck Sales, including an allegation that he used his position as mayor to get a City-paid security firm to keep watch on his lot.

He said at the time he asked the security firm to park at Stereo Warehouse next door to his own property so a watch could be kept on the general area that includes supportive housing facilities and shelters. He was cleared of having a conflict but advised not to interact with the security company.

On another occasion, he proposed that a study be done on the storage facility for the homeless at 48 Victoria Street West with a view to possibly relocating it for safety reasons. While he was at first advised by CAO David Trawin that he wasn’t in a conflict of interest because his car lot at 260 Victoria Street West is sufficient distance away, corporate officer Maria Mazzotta warned him of a possible conflict when he brought the idea to council.

At the same meeting, Coun. Katie Neustaeter said the situation “crosses into serious ethical territory.”

He was also involved in a brief controversy over a vehicle on the lot that was set on fire twice. He was ordered by the City to remove it. Due to repeated vandalism, the lot has basically been empty since shortly after he became mayor. He doesn’t intend to sell his business, just the property.

Hamer-Jackson said today that, based on comparable properties, he expects to list the car lot property at $5.6 million. “People are gonna say ‘you’re crazy,'” but the land is worth that, he said. It would be suitable for multi-family housing, and the cost of tearing down the sales building would be only a few thousand dollars, he added.