LETTER – Citizens know that Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is a man with integrity
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Dear Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson,
Today is St. Patrick’s Day and for many people, it has now become a very dark day in our lives.
Aside from that, I want to thank you for staying at the TNRD on that St. Patrick’s Day for the (Strategic Planning?) meeting. There were others who had been elected to municipal office but they decided the priority for themselves was to attend a “session” in Council chambers at City Hall. Imagine their surprise to find out that council chambers was prepared ahead of time for them and the media outlets were there. It appears you were unaware this was going to happen and in fact, I don’t believe you had an invitation to attend.
Integrity is a word that should mean something to people. For you, the citizens of Kamloops recognize that you, Mr. Mayor, are a man with integrity. Apparently, for others, integrity means very little.
Some time after that St. Patrick’s Day, I sent an email to the TNRD and asked if those people who were truants were paid for attending the meeting. I received no reply. It didn’t seem like a tough question but it was a question that apparently did not deserve an answer.
There may be other citizens who agree with my opinion about a person having integrity. It seems pretty simple; a person either has it or he or she doesn’t. No matter what hardships you have faced and no matter what may be ahead in your life be assured that integrity is something that cannot be taken away from you.
With utmost sincerity,
JOHN NOAKES,
Citizen of Westmount
ArmchairMayor.ca 
speak for yourself, Mr. Noakes. I’m sure there are many of us who do not feel the same way.
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Then-CAO Trawin told me at the April 11/23 public council meeting that the councillors’ March 17/23 joint statement “was personal and was not official city business.”
He also confirmed that city hall staff had sent out the media notification for the March 17/23 councillors’ “statement.”
The Council Code of Conduct 3.6 states, “A Member must not request or require Staff to undertake personal or private work on behalf of that Member, any other Member, or any Member’s family or other personal relations.”
This begs the questions: Did a city staffer act on their own or at the direction of senior administration to advertise the March 17 event? Or did one or more of the councillors request that notice be sent to media and city staff complied?
Is the Council Code of Conduct being applied evenly regardless of the persons involved?
If the mayor had requested a city media release for an unofficial event he was holding, would city staff comply or would they have reported him for asking?
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