CITY HALL – Get a court order; ‘I won’t be moving’ says Hamer-Jackson

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson won’t vacate his City Hall office unless the City gets a court order to do it.

The mayor informed councillors and staff at today’s regular council meeting of his intentions, first by way of a question, and then with a statement.

“If I decide I’m not going to leave, will there be a court order?” he asked.

Deputy CAO Byron McCorkell said he hoped one won’t be necessary. “I certainly would hope that wouldn’t be the case. One would hope you would abide by the direction of council.”

Hamer-Jackson said RCMP “have opened a file” at his request on certain activities at City Hall but he didn’t elaborate. However, he said, “At this point I won’t be moving.”

Deputy Mayor Mike O’Reilly said last week that Hamer-Jackson has until Oct. 22 to remove his possessions from the mayor’s office on the main floor and move to a former meeting room in the basement. If he hasn’t done it by then, his things will be moved for him, he said.

O’Reilly said the move is necessary to protect staff. The mayor has been accused of bullying staff, and has been found in some cases to have done so.

Hamer-Jackson also noted, outside the meeting, that council’s decision on moving him was made at a closed council meeting and released prematurely to local media. O’Reilly said he doesn’t know who leaked it, but that he felt he had to then respond in the media.

If a member of council is responsible for the leak, that person should “do the honorable thing and resign,” Hamer-Jackson said.

If it was a staff member, he would have a duty as mayor to suspend the staffer, he said, although councillors approved a motion earlier this year prohibiting him from suspending certain named members of staff.

He said he still hasn’t opened an email sent from O’Reilly last week because once he does so he would be prohibited from commenting on councillors’ order to change offices. He said the email was marked “privileged and confidential.”

Hamer-Jackson also pointed out that only he and his executive assistant have keys to his office. “How can they evict me without facts, proof or evidence?” he asked. “Do they break the door down?”