SOUND OFF: The real silent burden — taxpayers paying for the mayor’s defiance
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TO THE EDITOR OF CFJC TODAY: The Sept. 3 column, “Sound Off: The Silent Burden,” portrays Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s situation as unfair criticism. But what it calls a “burden” is in fact accountability — the basic expectation of public office.
The mayor’s most recent 30 per cent pay cut followed an independent investigation confirming he voted on a matter where he had a personal legal entanglement. That was not politics — it was the Code of Conduct doing its job. Instead of accepting responsibility, the mayor has repeatedly dismissed the findings of neutral investigators, delayed proceedings and driven up costs for taxpayers. When ordered to apologize for misleading the public, he refused outright, insisting he would only do so if forced by a judge.
That is not leadership. Leaders don’t wait for court orders; they repair trust when it is broken.
Some frame the mayor as a victim, pointing to his family’s challenges or the closure of his former business. Those hardships are real, but they cannot excuse rejecting accountability or trying to pass his legal bills onto the public.
