St. Albert city council has once again embarrassed this city.
Within 24 hours of council’s discussion about updating the Council Members’ Code of Conduct last week, the current code was breached.
Council’s code of conduct is a policy, not a bylaw, and carries no consequences for council members who breach the code of conduct.
The standards in the policy cover everything from gifts to avoiding conflicts of interest to the obvious expectation that a council member’s primary obligation is to look out for the best interests of the community.
Council members are committed by the policy to “ethical, businesslike, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as council members.”
Notably, one of the standards asks that any comments on unsatisfactory city staff performance be directed to the city manager and that council members should avoid any public comment on unsatisfactory staff performances.
That last standard was one that was clearly breached in a series of emails authored by councillors Bob Russell and Cam MacKay, provided to the Gazette by Mayor Nolan Crouse. One email, sent less than 24 hours after last week’s discussion of the code of conduct, saw Russell suggest a staff member might end up wearing one of Russell’s crutches in an uncomfortable position. Other emails, some dating back to fall 2015, saw the councillors complaining about staff performance with councillors, staff and even a resident privy to some of the negative email commentary.
The patterns of negativity demonstrated towards city staff in that email sampling should absolutely concern people. But the public should also wonder why the mayor has opted to publicize the emails. Part of the mayor’s job, as the leader of council, is to rein council in and keep it focused on the job of civic governance. Crouse has apparently given up any hope of that.
It should surprise no one who pays any attention to the antics of St. Albert city council that it has come down to council members sharing embarrassing emails or other information about each other.
This dysfunction is not new. It has been a pattern for most of this council term, and despite numerous calls for fresh starts, council members seem unable to wipe the slate clean and get on with the business of governing the city. This council has demonstrated time and time again that some of the members are simply unable to agree to disagree without taking it personally.
Most people don’t need a code of conduct to remind them how to act. St. Albert council members have a handy reference guide available if they need reminders.
City business seems to have taken a backseat to petty grievances. There isn’t a code of conduct in existence that’s going to put the brakes on such behaviour. In fact, as next year’s civic election draws nearer, expect the vitriol to increase.
