RE: "RVC councillor addresses 'erroneous comments," letter, Feb. 11
Dear Editor,
Coun. Daniel Henn’s letter verifies the fact the majority on council have no clue what they sanctioned their colleagues for. It is further evidence the council majority has no desire to put the past behind them, rather it is about retribution and crushing the three councillors at all costs.
Stripped down, Henn’s letter claims all the sanctioned councillors ever had to do was apologize. A simple, “I’m sorry,” and all would be forgiven and forgotten. Well, it seems the only ones who have forgotten are the council majority, as they refer to themselves.
When Coun. Crystal Kissel apologized for a behaviour that resulted in one of her sanctions, did council simply forgive her and remove the sanction? No, they went out of their way to ensure only the apology portion of the sanction was removed. They purposefully kept intact the sanction that restricted all her access to staff.
The tone of Henn’s letter echoes the one written by Kissel, Hanson and Wright that caused their sanctions. Did Henn forget that it was the tone of their letter that, in part, landed the councillors in their current predicament? Should the sanctioned councillors win their court battle, will Henn be subjected to similar punishment, or does his allegiance with the bully majority ensure he is free to say what he likes with impunity?
Henn’s comment that ignoring transgressions against the MGA would be irresponsible is almost laughable. Did they forget allegations of pecuniary claims have been raised against Deputy Reeve Al Schule and Coun. Mark Kamachi? Those claims are far more credible than anything alleged against Wright. Henn also stated the sanctions being the responsibility of the CAO is nonsensical. Does Henn know that similar sanctions were enforced on a councillor in Kneehill County while Hoggan was their CAO? Or are these just inconvenient truths best kept swept under the rug?
Having attended almost every council meeting over the past four years, it is evident to me the council majority is clueless about the sanctions – the sanctions have been modified more times than I can count. Each time, each modification results in an inane debate that creates yet another set of unintended consequences. Do they forget people are watching? Or is it they just don’t care?
Henn makes comments about the Jan. 22 court case. He says the sanctioned councillors chose to go to court rather than apologize. Perhaps if Henn, or any of the brazen bully gang of six, had bothered to show up, they would understand the full impact of the sanctions – not only on the three councillors but on the 40,000 residents council represents. This is not about apologizing. It is about silencing dissenting voices and weaponizing the code of conduct. But since when did bullies let the truth get in the way of a good story?
Kim Magnuson
Former Division 2 councillor
