Kamloops deputy mayor hopes city can move forward after spats between mayor and council

The deputy mayor of Kamloops, B.C., says he's hopeful the city can move forward after a series of public disputes between city staff, council and newly-elected mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson after Hamer-Jackson was excluded from a pair of closed council meetings.

"We've dealt with the issue," Bill Sarai said. "We want to assure him [Hamer-Jackson] that it wasn't an attack on him. We weren't trying to have a coup and throw him out of office."

Instead, Sarai said, the meetings were closed due to legal advice received by the city that the topics up for discussion posed a potential personal conflict for Hamer-Jackson, and he and the city could face legal repercussions if he were involved.

Hamer-Jackson, a newcomer to civic politics, was elected with 32 per cent of the vote in the Oct. 15 municipal election and has, at times, come into conflict with various groups within the city.

Last week, he surprised council when he skipped an entire council meeting, citing a potential conflict of interest that he didn't explain until the next day.

In interviews, the mayor said he was upset he was unable to give his input into setting the council agenda, which included two items he believed represented a conflict of interest: a variance on a property that involves a close friend and a 26-page report on housing, safety and security that involved ASK Wellness, a local housing advocacy organization. 

After that, Hamer-Jackson was also excluded from two closed council meetings, a move the city explained was due to potential conflicts with the mayor's personal interests.

The topic of those meetings is not known, but last month, a lawyer for ASK Wellness sent a letter to Hamer-Jackson, asking him to stop making "defamatory" comments about the organization and its executive director in interviews with the media. As well, there have been allegations the mayor asked a city-contracted security company to guard his private business (a claim he denies) and a request from B.C. Housing that he stop visiting shelters unannounced.

Steep learning curve

Sarai said he is unable to disclose the topic of discussion at those closed meetings but said council wants to continue working with the city's new mayor — and hopes he will work with them.

"It's just a learning curve," he said of the confusion caused by the past week of back and forth.

Sarai said it's now time for everyone elected to lead Kamloops to come together to serve the city.

"No matter what you campaigned on and what the people voted for you to promote on their behalf…now it's time to govern your city along with your eight colleagues."

Former councillor Dieter Dudy, who lost the mayoral election with 24 per cent of the vote, says Hamer-Jackson should work hard to learn the ropes as a rookie elected official.

"He's going to embrace whatever help comes his way by trusting his staff and the councillors that were there in the last term to help him move forward," Dudy said.

"There has to be a willingness to learn that process and move forward in a way that's going to be effective for the whole citizenry."