REID ALL ABOUT IT – Mayor wants disclosure of ‘harassment’ documents
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
An occasional glimpse into the mayoral life of Reid Hamer-Jackson.
A pair of lengthy motions from the mayor will come up for discussion at the Sept. 22 council meeting. One is a proposal for a review of the homeless storage, laundry and washroom facility at 48 Victoria Street West. Hamer-Jackson says the parking area next to the small building isn’t being used and should be returned to parking space for City staff instead of paying for spaces at the B.C. Lotteries Corp. He also says the services provided at the small building may be provided at existing shelters…
His other notice of motion renews his efforts to obtain records relating to allegations he bullied or harassed staff. It states he is prepared to provide his own communications from the beginning of the current council term “and the same transparency should apply equally to all participants, subject only to information legally protected from disclosure.” He wants all members of council, lawyers and current or former City managers and directors as well as himself to provide the records to an independent reviewer…
He also wants a review of costs incurred for the performing arts centre and arena projects, noting the PAC budget estimate has increased from about $154 million to $211 million, and the arena from $154 million to $168 million….
After Hamer-Jackson presented his notices of motion at this week’s council meeting, Coun. Dale Bass brought forward one she’d tabled the previous meeting regarding co-operation with TRU on equity and accessibility. When the mayor began asking questions, Bass told him he could wait until Sept. 22. Hamer-Jackson reminded her that her motion was actually up for discussion now, at which point Bass blamed her confusion on having to listen to his lengthy notices….
Coun. Margot Middleton seems to think Stuart Wood School might be a good location for the new police station. She gave notice of motion to explore potential locations other than the one on which the detachment building currently sits, adding that Stuart Wood should be among those looked at. Of course, any use of the Stuart Wood site for a police station would require that the beautiful heritage building would have to be torn down….
Meanwhile, Castanet reports that Hamer-Jackson has been given four more months to sell his Tru Market car lot on West Victoria Street. Beem Credit Union received a court order in June in connection with a business loan of $452,794.85 secured against the property. A lawyer for Beem said the credit union agreed to an extension past the Sept.1 deadline.
Considering that the city just got a “safe workplace” award and that council, in particular Coun. Bass, has gone on and on about WorkSafe claims against the mayor, are we to assume the mayor was exonerated? Whatever happened to this accusation, if it formally existed at all?
I would also be interested to see how Coun. Sarai’s “Tapegate” lie factored into the first investigation–the so-called “Honchurak Report” and its resulting sanctions and salary cut.
And how was it that the mayor was sanctioned for “misleading the public” when he said someone yelled a slur at him from a pickup truck but he couldn’t name the person, but when Coun. Neustaeter denied there had been a meeting of a quorum of councilors to draft the March 17/23 “statement” to media about the mayor, she got a free a pass? The investigator found there had indeed been a meeting, but Katie was excused on the grounds that it was an honest error made in ignorance of the regulations.
Yet the council and administration have seemed very strict about the minutiae of the law when it comes to the mayor. If I were Mayor Hamer-Jackson, I’d like to see the paper trail too.
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What about the findings as written in that CBC article I have sent you? Our otherwise zealous local media, including our very own local CBC bureau has been completely silent on that salient event.
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The flat out rudeness of some of the employees of the people of Kamloops needs to be addressed. Replacement seems a logical step in ending rudeness . It’s not defensible to encourage this kind of behaviour, so happy voting.
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