City council members met in closed session Monday afternoon but cancelled an evening's open portion owing to only two brief items on the agenda that will now be dealt with Sept. 3.--News photo Collin Gallant
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City council members haven’t formally discussed options presented by Alberta Municipal Affairs to smooth out years-long tension in the working relationship between Mayor Linnsie Clark and councillors.
And such a conversation likely didn’t occur at a closed session of council held on Monday, according to sources.
Only a “personnel matter” was discussed on an agenda published Friday when it was announced the public session, to be held later Monday, was cancelled and two items moved to Sept. 3.
That came as the News published a report stating that the provincial Municipal Affairs ministry met with all council members in late July to hear an overview of complaints and detail general resources available to municipalities that are experiencing discord.
Those likely include routes for mediation and suggesting governance training to more major endeavours, such as requesting outside audits of whole organization operational reviews done at city expense.
Municipal Affairs told the News it is still waiting for feedback from Medicine Hat city council, but several councillors say attempts to begin mediated talks with Clark are being rebuffed by the mayor.
Coun. Robert Dumanowski told the News on Monday that if the city takes up the ministry’s offer, it should be discussed and decided in open council.
“That would be something that I think council would want to bring downstairs (to council) and make it a matter of public record,” said Dumanowski, the most senior council member in the current term. “That way the public can see who is in favour or against.”
Such a move however, could result in a large majority vote with only the mayor opposed.
“It can’t work if we don’t have all participants,” he said.
Clark supporters have accused council members who imposed sanctions on the mayor last March of secrecy in that decision making.
More recently, councillors have claimed they are the ones who have requested talks and potential mediation proceed to smooth out interactions with Clark.
Clark has told the News work is proceeding as best as can be expected, and that she is awaiting potential remedy from the courts.
“It really rests with seven councillors who made the choice to put in the sanctions,”
“Obviously, I think, moving forward in the interest of the community will continue to be top of mind.
“I couldn’t reverse the sanctions even if I wanted to. It was a decision that I was not part of.”
Coun. Ramona Robins, a former Crown prosecutor now in management with Alberta Justice, told the News she is at the limit of her professional abilities to bring the sides together.
“I’m trained at resolution,” she said. “I would 100 per cent go to mediation.
“But if this doesn’t get settled, it’s not on me for lack of trying.”
Coun. Allison Knodel didn’t comment on resolution discussions, but told the News the disagreement needs to “take a back seat” to other work before council. Coun. Darren Hirsch has not been available for comment.
The News was the first to reveal over the weekend that the provincial ministry officials, including minister Ric McIver, high ranking ministry officials and area MLA Justin Wright held a meeting on July 25 to discuss the problems.
All council members were allowed time to speak – a process one attendee called “cathartic,” but also said Clark declined to comment to the ministry.
They reacted strongly late last week following a judicial review hearing, requested by Clark, and Clark’s statements in the media that other council members were wasting money by not settling the issue sooner.
Clark’s legal team told a judicial review panel on the decision last week that the investigation into the breach was flawed because it didn’t examine her points.
She alleges Mitchell went ahead with layoffs and some reorganization without council’s final approval, though others say the content of the changes were well known to them and above board.
Justice Nation said some sanctions seemed aggressive, such as a 50 per cent pay cut, but said others, such as limited Clark’s interactions with Mitchell to email correspondence, seemed like basic human resource conflict resolution,
Nation will deliver her report on Sept . 30, and could potentially asking council to reconsider some or all of their actions.
Clark’s lawyer asked that Nation quash the council motion entirely and award costs to his client.
