EDITORIAL – Mayor RHJ must stop squandering his term in office
(Image: Mel Rothenburger.)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
MAYOR REID HAMER-JACKSON simply must let it go. For the third time, during his mayor’s report on the agenda of a regular council meeting, he attempted to air grievances with Coun. Katie Neustaeter and CAO David Trawin, who is on a leave of absence.
The mayor believes he’s been wronged and he wants council and the public to know why. So, once again, he tried to “provide information” during his report. But, as he got onto the topic today (Tuesday, June 11, 2024), the meeting broke down, again.
The topic is obviously highly sensitive to council and staff, and there were predicable histrionics including warnings of confidentiality from staff about his conversations with Trawin, and cries of “cut the microphone!” from councillors.
So, his microphone was, indeed, turned off. The Zoom feed was interrupted. Councillors and staff got up and walked out, leaving Hamer-Jackson by himself. Some 13 minutes later, the feed resumed and so did the meeting but, this time, it turned to councillors’ reports with no further drama.
Why the mayor thinks that continuing to confront council and staff on the matter during their meetings will somehow resolve anything is hard to fathom. Certainly, it’s also hard to know why they’re so adamant about muzzling him over his wish to publicize written correspondence between himself and Trawin on the well-publicized claim that he once threatened to fire the CAO. Surely he has a right to defend himself and present evidence.
But the fact is, presenting it at a meeting of council is not the place he’s going to be able to do it. All it accomplishes is to heighten the animosity between himself and the eight councillors — if it’s possible to heighten it any more than it already is — and increase the likelihood of further sanctions. If it didn’t work the first time, nor the second, and now the third, surely it’s time to move on.
And, really, to some extent he’s succeeded in making his point.
Hamer-Jackson clearly retains a lot of support among the public but his persistence on this matter, and the way he’s doing it, is surely eroding that support, and providing his opponents with more ammunition against him.
Your Worship, please start focusing on ways to accomplish what you set out to do when you ran, before you squander the amazing opportunity you were given.
Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, 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.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Honestly, what can the Mayor do, that the Council would allow?
Even if he does smarten up, would they let him?
These days it seems the Council/Staff wants to make it a point that if you don’t tow their line, you don’t have a voice. And all these fines, reports, and motions to side-line the Mayor is just overkill.
I mean, we get it… there is no democracy in Kamloops, and anyone trying will be memory-holed out of existence. It’s apparent now. So maybe let up on the Mayor who’s been prevented from doing his job since he got it.
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If the mayor has evidence that CAO Trawin misspoke when he said the mayor threatened to fire him, then by all means the mayor should share that. Maybe in a media release. But not at a public council meeting–that’s the taxpayer’s show, not dysfunctional council hour. Council members need to stop their incessant “he said she said” pettiness and tend to the real business of the community.
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I appreciate the continued airing of grievances. The public has a right to know what the council has done, their chins still glistening with grease as they sit at the smorgasbord of the public purse time and time again. A million dollar section of sidewalk here. A $100K temporary stage there, and a 10% tax increase for all.
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Your balance in journalism shows up in spades, Mel. You’ve offered sage advice for our Mayor without being overly critical.
His Worship seems to be dealing with a “pack mentality” and there’s little chance of winning. Like a poor game animal on the plains of Africa being chased down by a pack of wild dogs, the only escape might be to head for higher ground, if he can find it.
How you put forth the good times and bad times of RHJ is certainly different from a young lady who follows on the trail of RHJ. She seems to think that attempting to destroy a man’s reputation, over and over again, is going to accomplish something worthwhile. Generally that kind of “journalism” leads to a problem sooner or later; perhaps a career change, perhaps employ by a different media outlet or legal action if a boundary is crossed.
As you mentioned before, Mel, you always were cognizant of things such as libel and slander. You played the media and journalism game in a way that kept those two things in mind. Perhaps that wisdom hasn’t followed as closely as it should with folks who are young, inexperienced and unwise in how the real world can operate.
Let’s hope RHJ can find some higher ground.
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Sure fair enough he must let go and move on and join the rest of the “nodding and smiling and look the other way” group and let administrators do their job. But again what is the point of having a council?
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Maybe he’s just being petty, maybe he likes to get under their skin or maybe he thinks this is the type of red meat his supporters like, whatever it is he clearly has an axe to grind. Personally, I wish he’d just spill the beans and let the chips fall where they may. Council, including him and certainly aided by admin are making us all look pretty bad, it’s going to be a long 28 months to the next election.
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squander the opportunity? I think that ship has already sailed. Clearly, this was why the report about him suggested he could not let go of grievances. Unless he’s really thick, I can’t fathom why he continues to do what he does. He has certainly lost my support.
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