CENTRE WELLINGTON – Mayor Kelly Linton had strong words Monday at a meeting of Centre Wellington council when he addressed recent email exchanges and accusations involving councillors, staff and some members of the media and public.
“It is unfortunate that during a pandemic crisis when the well being and safety of our residents are our first priority that I have to take some valuable time to address some recent behaviour by a couple members of council,” Linton said to council.
The exchange started with a lengthy email from two members of the public requesting the CAO make a weekly public report about if and how he used emergency powers delegated to him by council.
After a response from the mayor explaining the delegated powers are for an absolute emergency and that it is not a blank cheque, councillor Bob Foster replied and called his answers "misleading and partial."
From there the exchanges snowballed with Foster bringing up recent work at Belsyde Cemetery and councillor Stephen Kitras questioned the mayor's understanding of the delegated powers bylaw. The two members of public have continued to send regular lengthy emails.
Linton stressed that a councillor is not considered an employee of the township and has no greater access to information than the general public.
“You can not just email our clerk and expect to get information on township operations,” Linton said. “This is not about our staff withholding information or being evasive or being ignored to quote some recent emails. It’s about you asking for something you do not have the right to ask for outside of council meetings.”
Another issue the mayor had with some of these emails was that often all or some members of council were copied. Linton explained this could be perceived as furthering the business of council which would make it an unlawful meeting under the municipal act.
“The business of government needs to be done at council,” Linton said. “From this point forward, any emails that our staff or I receive that are in this format will go unanswered. I am not interested in playing backroom politics.”
He went on to condemn recent emails criticizing some councillors, staff and council decisions where members of the media and public were copied on it.
“The content of some of these recent emails definitely crosses the line, especially when they’re copied to the media, blog writers and hand-picked members of the public,” Linton said to council. “A very strong case can be made that these emails are harassing our staff.”
Linton was also unimpressed by emails he said were intentionally misleading or inaccurate such as connecting recent work at the Belsyde cemetery with delegating emergency powers to the CAO.
Councillor Steven VanLeeuwen expressed his disappointment at how the emails feel like patterned attacks. He said the accusations started with the mayor, then to councillor Ian MacRae, then councillor Neil Dunsmore and then himself.
“I’d like the public to know that this is not what the people who want to help this community should have to deal with in the background,” VanLeeuwen said to council. “I’m quite upset about it and I think that we should have this stop.”
Kitras said that he feels councillors and the public are lashing out because they are frustrated with a lack of public meetings.
“These meetings are the only way that the public can have things addressed," Kitras said to council. "When it’s frustrated then that’s what happens.”
Kitras addressed the pattern VanLeeuwen described but instead noted how he, Dunsmore and MacRae tend to vote with the mayor.
Dunsmore said he’s been called a “head nodder” in emails and disagrees. He said he follows the direction of his constituents.
“I’m voting the way they ask me to vote because they’re the residents in my ward,” Dunsmore said to council. “For some reason if I vote the way that we talked about and we follow the strategic plan, then I don’t have a mind.”
Dunsmore then addressed an email from Foster accusing him of voting to delegate power to CAO Andy Goldie because of their longstanding friendship. Dunsmore did acknowledge that he’s known Goldie for a long time but would have delegated power to any CAO the town had.
He said he felt Foster was intentionally causing problems because he was unhappy with recent decisions.
“If you think there’s something inappropriate with my friendship with Mr. Goldie, the clerk I’m sure will give you the integrity commissioner’s email address and the forms you need to fill out,” Dunsmore said to council. “In the meantime let’s move forward as a council and start working towards what’s good for our community and put the petty bickering aside.”
