In last week’s editorial, you confused the two different Integrity Commissioner investigations.
I believe Greater Napanee councillor Bob Norrie got it right. The mayor should be asked to resign, something clearly within the power of council. Unlike paying $2,200 for a coach, this would cost nothing.
No one, including Bob Norrie or the IC, ever suggested applying to the court to remove her if she refuses.
In 2015, when the Greater Napanee Ratepayers Association was formed, we started investigating why our town was performing so poorly. What we discovered was shocking. We found financial irregularities and serious breaches of law. Worse, we found an effort to cover it all up with secret meetings and misleading press releases.
While you published the press releases (and sold advertising space to the town) we carefully investigated and exposed the problems one by one.
We funded three all candidate meetings during the last municipal election which saw five new Councillors elected. I believe all five of them are top-notch and very committed to improving our town.
As the five new members found their feet and worked hard to improve oversight, we watched the former CAO and the two holdovers from the Schermerhorn era seek to continue the old ways.
So, we continued to dig.
We exposed flagrant breaches of the Sale of Land by-law. We exposed the sale of 32 Oke Road to the former mayor at an undervalue using only a tiny newspaper ad with a land transfer signed by Mayor Isbester all done without council authorization. We exposed the attempt to sell the valuable Heritage Park in the same way to a close associate of the mayor’s son.
A six-month investigation by the Integrity Commissioner found that the Mayor had indeed breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act in relation to Heritage Park.
As we assembled material for the application to the IC, Mayor Isbester threatened me and the resident who supplied much of the factual information for the conflict of interest application. Her threats were reported to the IC who took three months to investigate and gave a second report to council confirming that both complaints were valid.
Deputy Mayor Max Kaiser was in a unique position to stop the plundering of our surplus properties and the secret land deals. But, he failed to act and at the last meeting professed his loyalty to Mayor Isbester while minimizing her conduct and even disparaging the efforts of our group.
During this term, thanks to the five new members of council we have a new CFO, CAO and Clerk. I believe all of them are absolutely top-notch and will work hard to forge a new path.
I see good things happening in our town thanks to the renewal of council and staff and I am optimistic for the future. Twenty hours have been set aside for a line-item presentation of the budget, something that was repeatedly refused by the previous regime.
There is still more to be accomplished this term. I believe this could best be done without the influence of Mayor Isbester.
Greater Napanee Ratepayers Association