The Town of Athabasca’s council is more divided than ever following a special meeting to decide its next steps to hire a chief administrative officer and a subsequent regular council meeting.
All six town councillors, Mayor Roger Morrill and interim CAO Doug Topinka were at the meeting Nov. 15, where angry barbs were exchanged following a 30-minute in-camera session.
What followed were accusations of unprofessionalism, name-calling, a failed motion by Coun. Steven Schafer for all council members to resign, and a motion passed to bring forward a bylaw that would remove Morrill as chair of council meetings and prevent him from going to committee meetings in an “ex-officio” capacity.
The contention started after Coun. Nichole Adams made a motion to create a search committee to hire a new town CAO.
After spending $14,000 to find one using a consultant, the leading candidate decided not to accept the Town of Athabasca’s offer.
On Nov. 14, councillors were informed that the candidate turned down the $120,000-per-year offer council extended two weeks prior.
Council voted Nov. 15 to create the committee 4-3, with Councillors Tanu Evans, Joanne Peckham, Shelly Gurba and Adams voting in favour and Councillors Tim Verhaeghe, Steven Schafer and Morrill voting against.
The new committee, consisting of Gurba, Peckham and Adams, is now responsible for finding Athabasca’s next CAO candidate.
Following the vote, Verhaeghe said he voted against the motion because he was uncomfortable with the search for a CAO being directed primarily by four members of council.
“We’re very clearly a divided council,” Verhaeghe said. “It’s quite often a 4-3 vote, and I can see how this is going to go.”
Verhaeghe indicated to Evans, Peckham, Gurba and Adams.
“Basically, the four that are on that side of the table are going to decide who to hire irregardless of what we all think,” he continued. “There’s too much control in the hands of one. It should be all of council making this decision.”
Gurba responded that the committee would still bring their recommendations before all the council members, and that council had to start working as a cohesive group moving forward.
“I think that we maybe can come together and get our act together, and start working like an actual council,” she said.
Evans said council had been given an opportunity to work as a cohesive group, but had failed. He said councillors Peckham, Gurba and Adams were best suited to finding a new CAO.
“These three have shown an ability to hire and interview and go through that process with a CAO previously,” he said.
Adams agreed with Evans, stating that it was a failure of leadership from Morrill that prevented council from hiring a new CAO.
“You had a majority of council that wanted a special meeting, and you delayed it until the regular council meeting,” Adams said. “That’s why we’re here now, and we’re in the position of having to start over again.”
Morrill responded that he received the request for a special meeting on Nov. 7, and that he sent an email to all council members about it. Morrill said he reached out to Verhaeghe and Schafer to see when they would be available, but they couldn’t attend on either Nov. 7 or Nov. 8.
“I stand by what I said in that email,” Morrill said. “I think it’s very important for all seven councillors to have the ability to say on the record what their position is.”
Adams also said Morrill allows Verhaeghe to be condescending toward some members of council while using meeting protocol like points of order to silence other members.
“His condescending and rude behaviour is one of the root causes of the dysfunction of council,” she said.
Verhaeghe said he took exception to being referred to as unprofessional and condescending, stating that he had voiced an opinion about certain councillors being, “out of their league” because Evans read the offer for a CAO candidate out-of-camera in front of the press at the council meeting Nov. 1.
“We heard what our consultant had to say about the motion that was made to the press and what that could have resulted in,” Verhaeghe said. “When that motion was made, I had some comments for this council and I stand behind my comments.”
Evans responded that Verhaeghe did not offer any constructive criticism, but instead chose to berate people trying to get stuff done. He once again said Morrill selectively called points of order to silence disagreement from members of council.
“So yes, when we talk about failure of leadership, we are talking about you not being able to chair or listen to the procedural bylaws clearly,” Evans said.
“Or put a leash on your dog,” Adams added.
Morrill responded saying that he uses point of order when he sees a member of council making a personal attack on another member.
“When someone says, ‘you, you, you,’ you need to stop that,” Morrill said.
Evans asked which procedural bylaws specifies that a point of order can be called for such things, saying that “it doesn’t exist.”
When asked to clarify the what is allowed, Topinka said that while point-of-order was not intended for such purposes according to the bylaws, previous mayors had used it as a way to maintain a respectful atmosphere in council.
“Historically, yes I’ve seen mayors use it over the years to try and bring the tone of council down,” he said. “But again, that becomes how council wants to interact.”
After further discussion, Verhaeghe asked Adams for an apology.
“You’ve told us you’re a lawyer and we have to listen to you, we’re around this table and we’re ignorant, we don’t know what we’re doing,” she said. “So no, I’m not going to apologize for your arrogant and berating behaviour.”
After more heated words were exchanged, Evans responded once more to Verhaeghe’s claim that he offers constructive criticism at council meetings.
“What he said is that we don’t know what we’re doing,” said Evans. “He didn’t offer constructive criticism. He instead chose to be an ass.”
Morrill asked Topinka for advice.
“Can I be blunt?” Topinka said. “This might cost me my job, but anyway – I think the whole point is, that somehow you all have to come to a point where you can work together. You don’t have to like each other ... Anybody who’s looking for a job here, if they’re any good at all has been reading the papers, from the time they apply or before. Like I say, I don’t know how you get there, but I think it’s something council really needs to focus on.”
Morrill suggested that the best course of action might be for all of council to resign due to their inability to come to a basic understanding with each other.
“It’s my belief that we owe more to the community than trying and going forward with what’s happening here,” he said. “I would love to see all seven of us resign at this point and hold free elections. I think that’s the way to resolve this.”
Since a motion to resign was not part of the special meeting agenda, it was delayed until the regular meeting and added as an item in the regular council meeting. Verhaeghe left council chambers after the special meeting concluded.
During the regular meeting, Schafer made the motion for all of council to resign. It was defeated 4-2 with Evans, Peckham, Gurba and Adams voting against and Schafer and Morrill in favour.
“I would not accept that motion, but I would accept a motion that the three of you resign,” said Peckham.
“I think if members of the council are ready to quit and walk away, they should do so without trying to drag down everyone else that’s trying to contribute to the wellbeing of this town,” Adams said.
Evans repeated that the fracture within council was primarily due to a lack of leadership from Morrill.
“I see no point in this,” he said. “I think if anyone should resign, it should be one person and that is Mayor Morrill.”
Peckham also added an item to the meeting’s agenda regarding the town’s procedural bylaw.
Peckham made a motion for administration to bring the bylaw back to council with changes that would remove the mayor as chair and ex-officio member of all committees, and give council members the ability to determine the chair and vice-chair by motion or resolution.
After Peckham made the motion, there was some discussion over the concrete steps required to make the motion work.
Morrill advised caution.
“I would strongly suggest that you get a legal opinion on this,” he said.
Following further discussion about the legality of the motion, it was agreed that CAO Topinka would use his discretion when drafting the bylaw.
“I think Mr. Topinka has a multitude of experience,” said Gurba. “He can delve into it and decide whether he needs legal.”
Morrill then asked for final clarification as to the intent of the motion.
“You’re taking the decision making that was done by the electorate at the last election, and under the rules of the game at that time and changing them at midterm, correct? Do I understand that?” he asked. “The electorate voted on something. They voted on the terms of their representatives and you wish to change it midterm correct?”
Adams responded that she thought the electorate was unhappy with the results they had gotten out of council for the last three years.
“We’ll do what we can so we can salvage this last year of council,” she said.
Council will vote on the motion at the next council meeting.
Before the end of the regular council meeting, Morrill asked once more if Adams would apologize for the comments she had made previously about Verhaeghe, motioning that council vote on it.
“This is a pretty serious situation, and in order to mitigate the possibility of problems, at least I’ve got to throw the motion out there,” Morrill said.
Evans called a point of order on Morrill, saying that the mayor does not have the ability under the procedural bylaws to add “ad hoc items to the agenda” after the fact.
“Items cannot be added afterwards,” he said.
Morrill tried once more to have the motion added, stating that the seriousness of comments made warranted a vote, but it did not take place.
Schafer said with unity being a theme of the evening, it was interesting that it would take a motion of council to get someone to apologize to another member of council.
“I find that’s pretty narrow,” he said.
Less than a minute after the meeting ended, while speaking to other councillors in chambers Adams brought the issue up again.
“All of a sudden his little feelings are hurt and I have to issue an apology? F--- that,” she said.
