Lunenburg says it cannot take action on allegations against mayor

The Town of Lunenburg, N.S., says its council cannot take any action on recent allegations that its mayor acted inappropriately.

Simon Gordon of SaltWind Transportation sent an ethics complaint about Mayor Jamie Myra to the town last week and posted it online.

Gordon said Myra was among a group of intoxicated people who created a safety incident in his cab in the early hours of June 13.

Myra said in a social media post last week he has a “much different version of the events,” but declined an interview with CBC News.

On Tuesday, the town said in a statement that councillors had gotten legal advice during a closed session on Monday about the alleged events involving Myra. Council members also met with Gordon ahead of their closed meeting, the town said.

Myra did not attend either of the meetings. 

After considering the available information, the council concluded it was “not empowered through any legislation to take any action related to this matter,” the town said.

“We are concerned for all parties and their families who have been deeply affected by the fallout from the social media posts and comments. We are also saddened by the division created in the community, the negative impressions created of our citizens and the national attention given to social media dialogue,” the statement said.

Gordon said in an interview Wednesday that he was not surprised by this outcome.

“It really kind of confirmed my original understanding of the legislative gap that now exists here, that there’s really no mechanism for the town to legally even examine this,” Gordon said.

As of last fall, Nova Scotia residents cannot make code of conduct complaints against municipal officials. 

Council members can still complain about one another, and in those cases an independent investigator handles each complaint, eventually making a recommendation on whether the code was breached.

“If there had been a process for this to flow through, it would have followed proper channels and you know, the discussion would have been based on evidence and what actually may have happened from both sides’ perspectives,” Gordon said.

Myra did not respond to an interview request Wednesday. In a social media post Tuesday, he thanked his council colleagues for making a considered and informed decision.  

“I will be taking some time to reflect on what happened. As your mayor, I accept there is a higher expectation placed on me and I want to learn from this experience,” Myra wrote.

Gordon has said the alleged incident with Myra helped solidify his intentions to run for a spot on Lunenburg town council.

Heather Fairbairn, spokesperson for the Department of Municipal Affairs, said in an email that the municipal code of conduct framework is currently under review “to ensure it is serving the purpose for which it was intended.”

Fairbairn did not say when that review would be finished.

Province says N.S. ombudsman’s office is an option

Residents can still direct non-code of conduct complaints or concerns about an elected municipal official directly to their council, Fairbairn said. If they are unsatisfied with the council’s response, Fairbairn said they can also make a complaint to the provincial ombudsman.

Jaime Reynolds, director of investigations and outreach for the Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman, said in an email the office’s role with respect to elected officials is limited to how those officials perform their professional work.

Gordon said he has not yet decided if he will take the matter to the ombudsman’s office.

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