ROTHENBURGER – As we await Sarai probe, Kahlon declines involvement

AS A CITY HALL investigation into Coun. Bill Sarai’s clandestine taping of a conversation with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson remains a work in progress, Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon’s office has given a civic lobby group’s request for provincial involvement the brush off.

In the wake of Sarai’s humiliating public admission in December that he had taped a meeting with the mayor without telling him, and later used an edited clip in an attempt to blame Hamer-Jackson for a yelling match that triggered a pair of investigations of the latter’s conduct, the City indicated it would conduct a review of Sarai’s actions.

As of today (March 25, 2025), City Hall isn’t saying who’s been hired to conduct the review or when it might be completed.

Corporate officer Maria Mazzotta said she can’t divulge the identity of complainants or respondents for code of conduct complaints that are still under investigation.

However, she released an updated list of alleged code of conduct violations that includes reference to one in which “The Complainant (member of Council) alleged the Respondent recorded a conversation with another elected official and then lied about it.” The complaint was filed in January and the investigation isn’t finished, but has cost $8,735.96 so far.

The question of why an investigation is even needed remains. Sarai has admitted to taping a heated argument with the mayor in the mayor’s office, using his cell phone. He first attempted to obfuscate but, when asked about it by RCMP, he acknowledged what he did.

If the City’s investigation of Sarai’s behaviour includes the impact of the tape incident on subsequent investigations, that would be worthwhile. Otherwise, the only question is what sanctions to impose on Sarai.

Meanwhile, Kahlon doesn’t have time to meet with members of Kamloops Citizens United to discuss the situation. Back on Jan. 16, KCU wrote Kahlon asking for an in-person meeting with him “to address the ongoing concern within our community regarding significant dysfunction within the Kamloops City council,” not limited to Hamer-Jackson.

At the time, Kahlon had asked the council for an update on implementation of the Braun report — that’s the one that council cited as reason for lowering the sanctions boom on Hamer-Jackson.

Pointing out Tapegate (my term, not theirs), the KCU said it wanted to meet with Kahlon to “help identify pathways to restore the functionality and credibility of Kamloops City council.”

After weeks of waiting for a reply, Kahlon’s office finally got back to KCU yesterday. The minister’s schedule, said a ministry manager, does not allow for a meeting. Besides, municipal councils are “democratically elected, autonomous, responsible and accountable within their jurisdiction. Local governments depend on elected officials who have the legal authority and responsibility to make decisions on behalf of their communities and are democratically accountable to their citizens for those decisions.

“In terms of your request for an inquiry into these matters, the Ministry has no role in reviewing and reversing decisions made or actions taken by local governments.”

The letter says councillors are held accountable through elections.

“In terms of any public statements made by members of Council, there can be instances where residents believe that elected officials have not conducted themselves in a responsible manner. Responsible conduct – which is a reasonable expectation of the province and of local electors – is grounded in elected officials behaving with honesty and integrity and in a way that provides good governance to their community. This includes being accountable, transparent, ethical, and respectful of the rule of law. Ultimately, elected officials are held accountable for their decisions and actions by their citizens through the democratic process of elections.”

The KCU might wish to contact CAO Byron McCorkell, the letter concluded.

So, no involvement is forthcoming from Kahlon other than waiting for an update from council on the Braun recommendations. And, more than three months after Sarai admitted his taping transgression, we’re still waiting for results of an investigation into his conduct.

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.