ROTHENBURGER – Secret tape ‘didn’t work out the way I had planned’

WHEN COUN. BILL SARAI secretly taped an argument with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson in January 2023, he didn’t know the tape would be subject to a Freedom of Information application even though it was recorded on his personal cell phone.

And his decision to keep the recording rather than destroy it, he admitted to a friend, “didn’t work out” as planned.

Those and other new details of the events leading up to Sarai’s public apology for lying about the tape are included in documents obtained by ArmchairMayor.ca this week through an FOI application.

As became well-known, Sarai claimed to the mayor late last year that he had been “forwarded” an excerpt of the tape, and denied he’d actually made the recording himself. The fact he’d made the tape became clear through an RCMP investigation into possible bugging of the mayor’s office; the complete version of the tape was made public through a media FOI application.

A friend whose name is redacted in the material released to ArmchairMayor.ca this week asked Sarai on Nov. 29, “Why on earth did you keep a recording that could be FOI’d?”

Sarai replied, in part, “It was on my personal phone, which I now know is also FOIable. But yes, I was told to delete in 2023 and kept it as leverage. Didn’t work out the way I had planned.” He didn’t elaborate on what he’d planned, but added, “Will make a public apology in my next council report.”

Before that apology, which was delivered to a special meeting of council on Dec. 3, Sarai texted councillors Katie Neustaeter, Margot Middleton, Kelly Hall, Nancy Bepple, Mike O’Reilly and Dale Bass to apologize personally.

“So I have been struggling all day on how I can share my thoughts with all of you,” he wrote in a text that appears to have been sent Nov. 29, the Friday the full content of the tape was made public by InfoNews.

“I know my actions have painted not only myself but all of council in a bad shade. That was never my intention when I attempted to back him off on continued personal attacks on myself and my family.

“I am taking this opportunity to assure you that I will personally reach out to each one of you to apologize in person in the coming days. Moving forward I will make an official statement in our next council meeting.

“This is a hard learning lesson. One that I will not repeat.”

He added, “To you, DM (Deputy Mayor) Dale (Bass), I’m sorry you have to deal with these attacks on me and council for my actions. I don’t know how I can ever repay you. But I will.

“Have a good weekend.”

Several councillors responded.  “All good Bill,” wrote Bass.

“Thanks for that Bill,” replied Neustaeter.

Middleton wrote, “Bill, apologies go a long way to right wrongs and it takes a person with integrity to take ownership and set things straight. Hopefully this will soon pass, as we, as council still have many challenges ahead (section redacted, citing FIPPA S. 22(1) Personal Information) the sun will still rise tomorrow!”

Hall commented, “Bill, thanks for this. You have the strength and support to rise above this .. appreciate your words. Thank you K”

“Thanks Bill for reaching out,” wrote Bepple, and “Thanks for this Bill” wrote O’Reilly. “You have always done the right thing, even when it isn’t easy. It is an honour to served (sic) with you.”

That evening, Bass texted, “Quite the organized campaign going on.”

“Understatement, getting ugly,” wrote Middleton.

Bass: “Yup.”

Bass and O’Reilly also had a brief exchange, with O’Reilly, who was out of the city travelling, saying, “I read story in infographic tel (an apparent reference to InfoNews) this am. I hope (words redacted under S. 22(1) Personal Information).”

Bass replied, “(some words redacted under S. 22(1) Personal Information) but we are getting a lot of requests for him to resign and none are from usual suspects. They just vent online.” She added, “I know. Stupid.”

In another exchange between the two, Bass writes, “It is so ironic no one in public demanding RHJ resign. When you get back let’s talk. Lot to get you up to speed on.”

O’Reilly: “God I can only imagine.”

Bass: “It is completely nuts. And the rest of them don’t know the half of it.”

The documents also shed new light on the sequence of events leading up to the revelation of the full six-minute audio recording surreptitiously made by Sarai.

He was informed Nov. 27 at 11:52 a.m. by City privacy officer Stephanie Nichols that the full tape would be released to an FOI applicant the following afternoon, Nov. 28, with minor redactions.

“As the applicant is media, we expect there may be some reporting on this topic. As such we are providing you with a copy of the recording that will be released so you are aware.”

She sent a similar email to Hamer-Jackson.

Castanet broke part of the story at 11:01 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2024 with the headline, “Kamloops city councillor says he secretly taped mayor, lied about origin of recording.”

The story included some quotes from the short excerpt Sarai had sent Hamer-Jackson, but not from the full version.

At 11:56 p.m. on Nov. 27 (the night before the story was published), Castanet reporter Michael Potestio had texted Sarai giving him a breakdown of what was going to be in the article.

“Hey Bill sorry this is so late but the story that will go up tomorrow details what you told me about the clip being a recording and not forwarded from anyone else. It then details what was in the clip you played for us….” Potestio then paraphrases highlights of the rest of the story rather than using direct quotes from it.

On Nov. 29 at 7 a.m., InfoNews released its own story, by reporter Levi Landry, which included the full tape obtained through its FOI application.

So the order of events appears to be that Sarai was alerted to the upcoming release of the complete tape, he was then interviewed by Castanet, which published its story quoting Sarai as admitting that he was the one who recorded the confrontation, the tape was released to InfoNews through its FOI, and InfoNews then published its story headlined “’You’re the snake’: Kamloops councillor’s secret recording revealed.”

Between Wednesday, Nov. 27 and Dec. 1, 2024 — the period covered in the ArmchairMayor.ca FOI application — City Hall received more than two dozen letters of concern about Sarai’s actions, many of them form letters demanding a public inquiry, or saying he should resign. Two letters of support were received.

In the midst of the turmoil, Mayor Hamer-Jackson was busy with questions to various parties. He asked Henry Braun, the author of the report that recommended strong sanctions against him if he didn’t change his ways, about his knowledge of the Honchuruk report and whether he was aware of Sarai’s recording. Braun replied that he didn’t know about the recording and that Sarai didn’t mention it when Braun was investigating.

Hamer-Jackson also asked several councillors whether they’d known about the audio recording, but no response is found in the FOI documents. “Why do you not answer my questions?” he asked Middleton after waiting several days.

Referring to the tape as showing that Sarai was yelling at him outside his office during the confrontation and claiming that it’s what sparked the Honcharuk investigation, he wrote to Bass that “I believe you should call a special meeting and rescind all the measures taken against me and pay me back.”

And, of course, a special meeting was called but there have been no offers from councilors to rescind any of the sanctions against the mayor, who continues to insist Sarai’s tape should disqualify the investigations that have resulted in those sanctions.

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, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. 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.