A special meeting has been called to discuss the City of Saint John’s guidelines regarding conflict of interest guidelines for members of Common Council.
Mayor Mel Norton called the meeting in the wake of controversy over his decision to fly to the State of the Province address in Fredericton on an Irving-owned plane. Deputy Mayor Shelley Rinehart and the mayor’s executive assistant, Chris Dever, were also present on the January 28 flight.
The Mayor tells CHSJ News while MLAs are prohibited by law from accepting such perks, there is no similar law on the books for mayors and city officials, and no business matters were discussed during the flight.
“If the intention had been to go and talk about business, that would have been inappropriate. That’s not how we do things,” said the mayor.
As for the special meeting of council – he says it’s necessary to open up a broader discussion about what constitutes a conflict.
“As an example, Councillor Shirley McAlary is organizing a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for hospice and she’s approached major corporations – including many Irving-related corporations – to buy tickets for that event. Today, we have JD Irving providing free land, men, and equipment for our snow-clearing operations. Should that be refused? We have contractors – from major ones like Debly, to many smaller contractors – providing services at or below market rates to help clear snow. Is that problematic? We have Councillor Gerry Lowe meeting in private with union heads and union bosses. Is that problematic? We have have Councillor John Mackenzie and Councillor Gerry Lowe sponsoring a motion in support of Canada Post employees to maintain door-to-door service when that’s for the benefit of their fellow former employees. Is that problematic?”
The Mayor says extremely poor driving conditions and a tight schedule last Wednesday prompted his decision to accept the flight, and in doing so he and the Deputy were entirely in adherence with the letter of the law.
Norton said he and all members of council pride themselves on being able to interact freely with unions, charitable groups, or business and not have their judgment effected – but acknowledged concerns over conflicts of interest “are certainly valid.”
The meeting is scheduled for 4pm tomorrow.
