CITY HALL – Group wants Coun. Mike O’Reilly removed over alleged conflict
Coun. Mike O’Reilly
A group of Kamloops residents is taking legal action in an attempt to have Coun. Mike O’Reilly removed from office.
Under the B.C. Community Charter, if 10 residents believe a City councillor has committed a conflict of interest, they can ask a judge to disqualify them from office, and that’s what they’re doing. A petition to B.C. Supreme Court says O’Reilly should have recused himself from the decision to locate a new multiplex on Hillside Drive across the Trans-Canada Highway from the 190-acre Iron Mask Industrial Park.
The $135-million multiplex was approved through an alternative approval process along with a new performing arts centre in September. O’Reilly is chair of the Build Kamloops committee that oversaw planning for the two projects.
O’Reilly is president and CEO of Comet Industries, which is developing the industrial property. The petition contends that the new multiplex could, potentially, benefit the development. The petitioners say they believe the nearby location of the arena facility could increase the value and sale of lots in Iron Mask, even though they’re four km. apart by road.
They say Iron Mask will require fill materials, which could be supplied from excavation needed for the ice complex. They also say the light industrial zoning of the Iron Mask development allows for worker residences, which “represents added potential for land sales for worker housing during arena multiplex construction.”
The petition asks that the decision on the location of the ice complex be voided and that a new process be undertaken. Names on the petition are Thea Dunn, Beat Klossner, Patricia Carlson, Patrick Snell, Howard King, Gerd Dessau, Deborah Kuipers, Denis Walsh and Christine Scheiberle, with Bronwen Scott listed as the agent.
O’Reilly has released this statement in response to media inquiries, including from ArmchairMayor.ca: “I was alerted to this disqualification petition over the weekend. I will share my next steps in a few days once I have thoroughly reviewed the information.
“I do want to express that in my role as an elected City councillor, I have always conducted myself with transparency and integrity, recusing myself from any discussions or decisions where there could be a conflict of interest. I look forward to clearing up this matter as soon as possible.”
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Is this the same Councillor Mike O’Reilly who has publicly debased Mayor Hamer-Jackson on what seems to be a regular basis?
LikeLike
In my opinion councillor O’Reilly has never been the comprehensive, innovative “leader” required to run a dynamic and modern city.
LikeLike
It does appear, from a citizen’s perspective, that the perception exists that Coun. O’Reilly stands to gain a pecuniary interest by way of proximity to the proposed development.
Recall the Mayor being taken to task for having a business in proximity to the area where services for drug addicts are provided when any agenda item related to those services were to be discussed.
Again, the Community Charter applies to council members depending on the direction the wind blows. In the case of Coun. O’Reilly and the (council), that wind is always a tailwind (often generated by their own hot air, enough to influence weather patterns on the worst days).
In general, the optics of a property developer on city council is not great.
If the Mayor has done anything this term, it’s illuminating the rot down at 1st and Victoria. Municipal politics used to be quite the sleepy affair. The acrimony and discord directed at council is unprecedented (yet well deserved) in my 60+ years in this now God forsaken town.
On Tuesday I listened to an impassioned plea from a business owner. The son of poor immigrants who employs 10 people. Hard working entrepreneurial contributor to this community. Describing the daily tribulations of trying to run a business in proximity to the lunatics and their opium dens.
Council doesn’t care young man. They approved the shelter in the middle of the business district, and you will continue to pick up human feces and needles from your front door daily, and pay a $400 fine every day for “false alarms” because the crackheads are trying to break into your business at night.
That gentleman sounds like a councillor in waiting.
LikeLike
it was mentioned some time ago about a possible road down the south side of Kenna Cartwright Park to the river which would connect to a new bridge . This all good and would be a good way to connect with the rink. Also an industrial park.
LikeLike
On first glance when I read “O’Reilly is president and CEO of Comet Industries, which is developing the industrial property. ” It caught my attention. Surely we dont have a Council person whos own business is going to benefit directly from a municipal project do we?
Memories of Gaglardi oopsies.
Oh … right … ok … a little more reading clearly shows that, no we dont.
Continued reading shows that the multiplex property is 4 kilometers from Comet, across the highway and up Lac Le Juene Rd up by Bower Place and Sugarloaf. Thats a long way, not sure if the two projects will even see each other. They are making it sound as if they are actually neighbours.
A little further down, we can see that they say ‘they believe’ (analogous to me ‘believing’ I am going to get cherries on my tree next year, from the perspective of October) that land value prices 4 kms and a highway away might increase in value due to this project going in. A reach … may the best word to describe that ‘belief’.
Any conflict from that distance is like saying that a Council member with a business downtown on St Paul, cant be involved in a decision at Riverside Park … and thats half the distance. How many past or present Council members would be guilty of that kind of range conflict? Mr. Walsh? anyone?
As well … anyone in the large building infrastructure project world, will tell you that the very idea that fill from the multiplex will be used to enhance his Comet property … just chortled up their morning coffee spit take style. Thats not how it works. A project drags away fill. Another project buys fill. They arent attached in any way.
The likelihood that fill is on purpose trucked from one to the other is nothing more than a logistical nightmare, and no developer of any project will rely on work getting done on that kind of schedule. I see expensive people and equipment standing around getting paid for weeks because … reasons … ridiculous.
Worker residence? You do realize that zoning is a thing right? Light industrial is not residential … far from it. And your ‘worker group’ is about to tent up on Iron Mask for the duration. Wake up, these are professionals, if from out of town, they stay at hotels.
The final comment: “The petition asks that the decision on the location of the ice complex be voided and that a new process be undertaken.” says a lot.
This is obviously the group that is trying to convoy their way into being heard, with another angle to the case to fight the AAP that permitted the multiplex to start with … and send some anti-Council – pro Mayor jabs while they are at it.
I dont have any problem with the AAP protest lodged with the province, as that is the correct step to take … but this … this is just childish, muck raking, sandbox daycare shenanigans in support of a failed populous elected, unqualified Mayor … by a group that is so vapid that all they see is attack and retribution, and trying really hard to gain some reputation as ‘movers and shakers’ in the community.
Its actually just sad.
I expect a judge to just drop this at first glance.
LikeLike