Council rift over Mayor’s memo re: drinking
Posted Jul 16, 2010 01:37:57 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The leaked memo about a few councillors’ drinking habits has caused a rift amongst members of council.
HRM councillors aren’t even sitting at the moment, yet the in-fighting is as intense as it’s ever been.
Sue Uteck (District 13, Northwest Arm-South End) says the bickering is tearing Council in half.
“Maybe he (the Mayor) should have brought us in-camera, maybe he should have addressed those he felt were a problem,” Uteck said. “Having said that, it doesn’t matter what we think now, because the Mayor did what the Mayor did.”
Mayor Peter Kelly has said he has spoken directly with more than two but less than seven members of council who concerns have been raised about.
Debbie Hum (District 16, Rockingham-Wentworth) was reduced to tears on the 6 o’clock news. She says she feels this issue could have been handled in a more sensitive way.
“I cried because I’m concerned for other people,” Hum said. “I’m concerned for the process and what’s happening.”
But Councillor Gloria McCluskey (District 5, Dartmouth Centre) says she doesn’t know why Hum is so upset over it.
“[Hum] cries in council sometimes…so I wasn’t surprised to see Debbie crying,” McCluskey said. “It’s very difficult to make me cry over something like that.”
The one thing councillors seem to be able to agree on is that the fallout from the leaked memo is fracturing an already fragile council.
