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The Town of Lunenburg says it is investigating allegations from a local taxi company owner who says he witnessed inappropriate behaviour by the town’s mayor.
Mayor Jamie Myra said in a social media post he has a “much different version of the events” of his interaction with Simon Gordon, owner of SaltWind Transportation Services, early Saturday morning but declined an interview with CBC News.
In a detailed account Gordon posted to Facebook on Monday morning, he wrote that Myra has been permanently banned from the taxi service after the mayor and a group of his family and friends tried to get into a cab while “heavily intoxicated.”
The post said that when Gordon told the group he could not take more people than could legally fit in the car, and he could not accommodate multiple trips on a busy night, a woman in the group began screaming at him.
“So I said to the mayor, you know, please leave the vehicle. I’m not going to be serving you folks tonight. And he refused,” Gordon told CBC News.
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Gordon said Myra finally left the cab when police were called.
An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News that officers responded to a report of a dispute between a cab driver and client in Lunenburg just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning. They said there were no arrests. Gordon said he told police he had no desire to take further action against Myra or his group.
Gordon wrote that Myra called him later on Saturday to apologize for himself and his group. Gordon says Myra warned him that while he does not engage on social media himself, his family and his friends might come after Gordon’s business if the incident was made public.
“Additionally, he suggested that he would like to continue to work with me to bring a transit system to the town, that he would be willing to work with me on anything related to my business and that he would like to sit down next week for a coffee to discuss the future of SaltWind including possible changes to bylaws,” Gordon wrote.
“I took the call to be both a threat and a quid-pro-quo in order to obtain my silence.”
In an online post Monday, Myra said he has a “a much different version of the events,” but would not add anything else. Myra congratulated Gordon on his business, which he said the taxi service is “certainly needed�” in the community.
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Gordon shared with CBC News AI-generated transcripts of two calls he says were with Myra on Saturday, created with an app called Dialpad.
No audio was recorded, Gordon said, which means the CBC News has been unable to verify the accuracy or context of the transcripts, which Myra has not confirmed took place.
The transcript of a 20-minute call appears to match Gordon’s allegations of some things Myra said, including the mayor apologizing, saying he wants to support Gordon’s business in every way, and asks Gordon not to share the situation on social media.
It shows Gordon, not Myra, first brought up how he hopes to bring more transportation options to town, and that Gordon feels bylaws must change.
The transcript suggests Myra replied that he would be happy to sit down and work on bylaw changes with Gordon, and didn’t want the night’s events to impact the work of council.
The transcript shows Gordon also told the mayor the incident helped solidify his intentions to run for a spot on Lunenburg town council.
In the second phone call, the transcript says Myra told Gordon he hopes the issue goes no further. When Gordon says he still has to decide with his team, Myra replies he contacted his lawyer and said that defaming him on Facebook would do nothing for anyone.
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When CBC News asked Gordon about the transcript showing he was the one who first brought up bylaw changes and his proposed transit project, Gordon said he now realizes he did say that first.
“If I have, you know, misinterpreted the situation — I don’t think I have —but if I have, you know, like I said, I’m very open to a discussion.” Gordon said in an interview.
Gordon said he felt like he had to speak out, because current legislation does not allow residents to make code of conduct complaints against municipal officials.
Gordon said he has “no desire” for Myra to resign, but his main hope is “accountability” for the mayor’s actions. He wants the council to decide if any disciplinary action should be taken.
Jamie Deans, Town of Lunenburg spokesperson, said in an email that the town is aware of “an incident” over the weekend involving Myra. The town is investigating the allegations and has no further comment at this time, Deans said.
Deans said while the complaint is not a formal code of conduct complaint, the town is reviewing the information, and following processes under the Municipal Government Act.
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