Petition committee pens letter requesting sanctions on mayor be lifted
Mr. Dumanowski, Ms. Hider, Mr. Hirsch, Ms. Knodel, Mr. McGrogan, Ms. Robins and Ms. Van Dyke,
We are writing to you to ask that you rescind the sanctions you applied to Mayor Clark.
In spite of an investigator finding Mayor Clark contravening the council’s Code of Conduct, many in this community strongly disagree with him. It was only his opinion. Furthermore, we believe council should repeal the resolutions at the Special Meeting of Council held March 21. They are harsh, mean, unproductive and unworthy of council.
If you go back to the beginning, the city manager began restructuring and implementing major changes to the city a administration early in her employment. She did so without council approval. When the mayor brought this up with the city manager, she was told by the city manager she had written approval from the city solicitor saying she had the authority to make the changes.
That letter has never been produced. Solicitor Bullock denied ever giving that advice.
Council was informed of her actions in June. Although council discussed it in a closed meeting and apparently approved the city manager’s actions, it was not brought forward to council as a resolution until the Aug. 21 council meeting. At that point council moved and passed to approve the new or amended Restructuring Bylaw, retroactively.
Mayor Clark’s questioning of the city manager at the meeting of Aug. 21, 2023 was far from malicious. In fact it was honest and well spoken. On the other hand, the city manager’s comments were evasive and rude. Who says to their employer, “I’m ending this right now,” and then sits down? Might this comment be construed as insubordination?
You have all judged Mayor Clark harshly but nobody made a comment when Coun. Sharps interrupted and cut the mayor off, accusing the mayor publicly of an interrogation and a diatribe.
“Treat one and another with courtesy, dignity and respect and without abuse or intimidation,” (Bylaw 4492 8.2). Not one of you filed a complaint of the Code of Conduct against Coun. Sharps. Why is that?
Councillors, a great many people agree that you have made a mistake. You need to work with the mayor, she was overwhelmingly elected by the citizens of Medicine Hat. Penalizing her such as this, we believe, is not in the best interest of the constituents.
Reverse these sanctions. Follow your own bylaws. Start serving the welfare and interests of our community.
“Members MUST conduct and convey Council business in an open and transparent manner,” and in so doing, “allow the public to view the process and rationale which was used to reach decisions and the reasons for taking certain actions.” (Bylaw 4492 6.2)