Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

KAMLOOPS COUNCIL

Mayor Hamer-Jackson plans to bring external appointments issue forward in open council

Oct 25, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Three months ago, Kamloops city council rescinded Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s position with both the Kamloops Airport Authority Society and the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board of Directors, citing concerns with the mayor’s conduct. This week, council outlined how exactly the mayor can return to those external posts, stating the mayor must apply to council in a closed meeting.

Instead of a timed suspension from external boards, they mayor must now request to council to be reinstated, a move the mayor says is not forthcoming.

“I’m on the Shuswap Watershed Council. I don’t know if they care much about that, but that’s the water coming through our city. It’s a very important board. I [sat] on the TNRD board, I [sat] on the Kamloops Airport Authority Society Board, and you can talk to every one of them, and maybe you should check with them and see if it’s okay if I come back on their boards,” said Hamer-Jackson.

Council has requested that the mayor ‘apply to council by way of notice of motion in a closed council meeting’. Hamer-Jackson plans to air this issue in open council.

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“I mean, I get beat up pretty good in these closed meetings. We have enough closed meetings. Apparently we’ve had 60 closed meetings. Let’s make this meeting open, let’s have it in open. Don’t worry about me, let’s make it open, then we will get it solved and the truth will come out,” Hamer-Jackson told CFJC News.

Mike O’Reilly is the deputy mayor for October, he outlined why council has chosen to make this decision as opposed to a timed exclusion.

“It has become very clear and evident to council that there is no will for change and nothing has happened,” said O’Reilly. “And really, we didn’t want to have to keep coming back every three months. Now we are allowing the mayor to do that in his own time. Whether that is two months, one month or 10 months, but that is now up to the mayor about how he wants to proceed and improve his governance skills.”

In the mayor’s absence, Councillor Stephen Karpuk will continue to serve on both boards, carrying with them the salary boost. It was noted that the way councillors are selected to the TNRD has changed in recent years.

“We are looking for some form of improvement and I don’t think anybody in this city can suggest that there has been an improvement from three months ago, let alone from two years ago. And really, the problems are still there — it is causing reputational harm to the City of Kamloops with the way he conducts business. And that is something that we want to see change,” added O’Reilly.

Asked if he feels his governance needs to improve, Hamer-Jackson admitted there is always room for improvement but pointed to all of council adding to the dysfunction at city hall.

“It’s their behavior that is causing a lot of the problems,” stated Hamer-Jackson. “And they just walked out of a council meeting the other day. As soon as they get close to hearing the truth they get up and walk away.”

The next regular meeting of council is set for Tuesday, November 5.