Mayor Linnsie Clark discusses the "State of the City" at the annual Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Medicine Hat Lodge on Tuesday afternoon.--News Photo Collin Gallant
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Mayor Linnsie Clark says City Hall needs to respond to and support community and business efforts, rather than “dictate” on issues, as well as take a more open stance with residents.
That follows years-long posturing between Clark, the rest of council and senior administrators, a high-profile dispute with city manager Ann Mitchell, court action that reversed sanctions placed on her for a code of conduct violation, and continued calls in open council meetings for staff to respond to her own inquiries.
The statement came at Tuesday’s annual “State of the City” at the Medicine Hat Lodge ballroom, where Clark spoke with a moderator before about 250 audience members, apparently foregoing a traditional presentation typically prepared with city staff.
She discussed housing efforts, the recent shelter relocation controversy, economic development, encouraging community spirit and also increasing levels of division between citizens and local government.
“We should not be dictating to the people of our community what they want, we should be the facilitator,” Clark told reporters following the event. “I do find some of the recent activities of the city … to be concerning. I voted no on a public code of conduct (policy), and not because I don’t think our employees deserve to be treated with kindness and respect – they absolutely do – but that has to be balanced against people’s right to participate in their government.
“I’m sure that every term, people are frustrated. But the level of barrier between people and city hall seems to have increased somewhat, and obviously that’s not ideal.”
It was Clark’s fourth time speaking at the Kiwanis Club event, jointly presented by the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce, and her first in a sit-down question and answer format.
What has become a presentation on accomplishments from the previous year and look ahead at issues and programs, was instead an overview guided by questions from emcee Barry Finkelman, a local businessman and one-time city hall columnist at the News.
“We have a number of things this council needs to do before the end of the term,” said Clark.
“Some of it will be getting things ready for the next council.”
With nine months before the next municipal election, Clark said some more specific issues could be advanced, but more deliberate action could be called for, especially on energy division management and recreation facilities.
“We have some very tough decisions to make over the next year about our needs and wants,” she told the audience, specifically referring to council’s priority of planning a south-end facility. “And with those wants, what are we prepared to pay?”
Community input should guide the final decision, she said, and would therefore be more accepting of the eventual plan.
Locating shelter services, another example, should be led by social agencies in the city with the support of City Hall, said Clark, and in co-operation with a strong provincial government effort.
In her opinion, a more basic mission to support existing businesses, potentially toward expansion, is more efficient than attracting large one-off projects, she said.
“The city hasn’t always been a great partner,” she said, highlighting a new regional economic development framework. She later added, “We can’t keep stopping whatever economic development to do something new every four years (after elections). Economic development and community development should be part of every department of the city.”
Clark has widely criticized top administrators for allegedly blocking her own access to information requests, and it follows several groups and individual’s attempts to publicize frustrations with council and senior administrators.
Nicole Frey, who led a failed petition movement to remove Clark via recall legislation in 2023, was a vocal critic of the city during power price spikes that year, as well as a number of other issues. She told the media last fall that she had more than a dozen ongoing issues to engage with at city hall, and is now dealing with a lawyer hired by the city to act as a go between.
The Medicine Hat Utility Ratepayers Association has also criticized the city for not releasing information on the proposed Saamis Solar Park purchase, though administrators say more will become known when regulatory processes are more advanced.
Administrators noted in the fall that freedom of information requests have spiked in 2024, leading to increased staffing and costs to handle the volume.
