The provincially-appointed municipal adviser in Kamloops says he will hope to use his experience in public office to guide City Council though its conflicts.

Peter Fassbender, a former three-term mayor of Langley, who has also served as a provincial cabinet minister, says he was approached by the province to work as the municipal adviser for Kamloops.

“My mandate is simply to be a municipal adviser, to see based on the research that I do and the discussions I have with mayor and council and staff, to see if I can make recommendations that will help them find a positive route forward to serve the taxpayers and the residents of Kamloops,” Fassbender said.

“I think after 20 years of experience in municipal and provincial politics, I’ve learned a few things. I have seen various situations and if I can help mayor and council in Kamloops move forward, I’m happy to give it my best effort.”

Fassbender was appointed by the province this month after City Council voted in September to ask for help in dealing with the “dysfunction and discord” that has plagued Mayor and Council since the election last fall.

“They have certainly helped out other municipalities and local governments, so we didn’t think it was a big stretch for us to ask for that,” Councillor Margot Middleton, who put forward the motion to ask for a municipal adviser, told Radio NL.

“They concurred that they could supply us with that help and that we are probably a municipality that is needing this.”

Speaking on NL Newsday, Fassbender says he will be in the Kamloops next month to meet face-to-face with mayor and council.

“I have talked to the mayor already,” Fassbender said.

“I have talked with all of council and some senior staff, and I’ve said to all of them, ‘my role is not to come in pre-judging what the outcome might be but to come in with the opportunity to work with them to see if we can find recommendations that will help them move forward in a positive way.'”

Fassbender will be in his role as the Kamloops municipal adviser until April, with the province picking up all of the costs.

It’s not clear how much the process will cost the provincial government, or the extent of the recommendations that Fassbender will make to mayor and council. He will however, not be able to recommend the dismissal of elected officials.

“Local governments are democratically elected and are responsible and accountable to the people they represent,” spokesperson Alanah Connie said. “There is no mechanism for the Minister of Municipal Affairs to dissolve the council or remove democratically elected council members from the council.”