Kamloops City Council is moving to cut Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s pay by 10 per cent for the next six months, starting today, June 12.

In a statement, City Council says the decision to cut Hamer-Jackson’s remuneration, including salary and other perks he is entitled to as mayor, is connected to his unwillingness to comply with a Feb. 6 resolution following a code of conduct violation by the mayor connected to Councilor Katie Neustaeter, whom the Mayor is already suing for libel and defamation.

Speaking to Radio NL, Hamer-Jackson did not get into the details of the complaint, though he said he wasn’t shocked by the move.

“There have been a lot of code of conduct complaints and things like that, things that we’ve knocked off, and ones that they’ve dismissed and things like that but you know this is just another one of those things where they hire a lawyer, not a consultant, they hire a lawyer to get the results they want and its not shocking,” Hamer-Jackson told Radio NL.

“Lets face it, these individuals I would say on October 15 of 2022, if the could have they would have asked me to resign that night but it would have been a little bit embarrassing.”

Hamer-Jackson was paid $128,693 in 2023, according to the City’s latest Statement of Financial Information report.

While Council says the mayor’s salary will be restored when they get “a signed letter of apology in the form already provided,” Hamer-Jackson also told Radio NL he has no intention of apologizing.

“I’m not going to apologize for something that I haven’t done,” he said. “Like I said, I didn’t get into the job for the money. They want to dock 10 per cent or whatever, that’s fine.”

Hamer-Jackson also said he has no intentions in following in the footsteps of Ed Wood in Harrison Hot Springs who on Monday resigned as mayor after almost two years of dysfunction on the resort municipality’s council.

“I am going to continue on,” Hamer-Jackson said.

“Every time I see Councillor [Kelly] Hall, he asks me to resign but the funny thing is – yesterday matter of fact, he asked me to [resign], and I said, ‘Councillor Hall, I was just out in Westsyde at a group thing and there was a bunch of citizens that want you to resign.'”

Hamer-Jackson also confirmed that he has put the property on West Victoria Street that his auto dealership sits on for sale to pay his mounting legal bills connected to the ongoing lawsuit against Neustaeter and other code-of-conduct complaints.

“Probably about, a rough estimate probably about $60,000,” Hamer-Jackson said, when asked what his legal bills were.

In their statement – which is published in its entirety below – City Council says the mayor was given advance written notice that more sanctions may be coming his way, and that both the mayor and his lawyer were present at the closed meeting on Tuesday, June 11 where the cut to the mayor’s pay was discussed.

“Council members are keepers of the public trust and must uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour in order to build and inspire the public’s trust and confidence in local government,” the statement said.

“City Council is committed to building trust in our community through accountability.”

The provision for a reduction in remuneration was mentioned in Municipal Adviser Henry Braun’s report as a potential penalty for code of conduct violations.

“With legal input, amend the code of conduct to include sanctions for repeated offenses with a structured remuneration penalty,” Braun said as part of his recommendations. “For example, for the first infraction, a 10 per cent reduction in salary; the second infraction 25 per cent, the third infraction 50 per cent, fourth infraction a 75 per cent reduction.”

The move to reduce the mayor’s pay comes two weeks after Hamer-Jackson was stripped of his ability to speak on behalf of the city.

The entire release from Kamloops City Council is published below:

Council members are keepers of the public trust and must uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour in order to build and inspire the public’s trust and confidence in local government. To that end, Council’s conduct is regulated by the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023.

Below is the Council resolution from the June 11, 2024, closed Council meeting:

WHEREAS section 3.11(a) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023 requires all members of Council to ensure that their communications relating to City, Council, or Committee business are accurate, and must not issue, or allow to be issued on their behalf, any communication that the member knows, or ought to have known, is false or misleading;

AND WHEREAS Council received the initial investigation report of Sarah Chamberlain, dated October 27, 2023, and her Addendum Report, dated January 9, 2024, in the matter of Council Code of Conduct Bylaw Complaints No. 2023-0001 and 2023-0002, in which Investigator Chamberlain investigated the complaint submitted by Councillor Neustaeter that Mayor Hamer-Jackson breached the Code of Conduct Bylaw by misleading the public;

AND WHEREAS Investigator Chamberlain concluded that:
“In the circumstances I find that, in making the Citizen Comments, he was in breach of his obligations under section 3.11(a) of the Code of Conduct.”
AND WHEREAS, pursuant to section 4.32(b) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw, Investigator Chamberlain recommended that Council “consider appropriate censures as found within the Code of Conduct, including consideration of a public apology and training on the Code of Conduct”;

AND WHEREAS, after consideration of all the circumstances and after reaching consensus, Council resolved as follows:
1. Pursuant to Part 4 of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023, Council finds that Mayor Hamer-Jackson has breached section 3.11(a) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023 by issuing, or allowing to be issued on his behalf, a communication that he knew, or ought to have known, was false or misleading, as set out in the Investigation Report and the Addendum Report (the “Breach”);
2. Pursuant to section 4.35 of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023, Council finds that the appropriate censures, sanctions, corrective actions, and/or other measures that are warranted by the Breach are as follows:
1. a request from Council that Mayor Hamer-Jackson issue a letter of apology, in a form and with content acceptable to Council;
2. mandatory training on his obligations under the Code of Conduct; and
3. mandatory training on respectful workplace communications or other interpersonal skills.
AND WHEREAS in its February 6, 2024, resolution, Council further directed that Mayor Hamer-Jackson sign and deliver the completed apology letter within 30 days of receiving a draft from then Deputy Mayor Bepple;

AND WHEREAS, on March 5, 2024, then Councillor Bepple delivered to Mayor Hamer-Jackson both a physical copy of the apology letter as well as an electronic copy of the apology letter for his signature and return to Council pursuant to Council’s February 6, 2024, resolution;

AND WHEREAS, to date, Mayor Hamer-Jackson has not issued, signed, or delivered a letter of apology in the form provided by Councillor Bepple and thus has neglected or refused to comply with Council’s February 6, 2024, resolution;

AND WHEREAS Mayor Hamer-Jackson was provided with advance written notice that: (a) at its June 11, 2024 closed meeting, Council would consider what, if any, additional measures it might impose on the Mayor pursuant to sections 4.38 and 4.35(k) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023; and (b) he was invited to provide comments to Council, either directly or through his legal counsel, at his discretion;

AND WHEREAS both Mayor Hamer-Jackson and his legal counsel were present at the closed Council meeting of June 11, 2024, and the Mayor chose to have his legal counsel make submissions on his behalf regarding Council’s consideration of what, if any, additional measures to impose on the Mayor pursuant to sections 4.38 and 4.35(k) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023;

AND WHEREAS Council heard and considered submissions from both Mayor Hamer-Jackson and his legal counsel regarding what, if any, additional measures to impose on the Mayor pursuant to sections 4.38 and 4.35(k) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023;

AND WHEREAS, as clearly indicated in the draft apology letter delivered to Mayor Hamer-Jackson on March 5, 2024, Council intends for the entire apology letter to be governed by the Apology Act, SBC 2006 c.19, and therefore not admissible in any court as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in connection with the matter;

AND WHEREAS, after consideration of all the circumstances, including the comments and submissions made by Mayor Hamer-Jackson and his legal counsel, and after reaching consensus;

COUNCIL RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:

Pursuant to sections 4.38 and 4.35(k) of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023 Council shall address Mayor Hamer-Jackson’s breach of the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw No. 53, 2023 and his failure to comply with its February 6, 2024, resolution, by hereby directing that the remuneration to which Mayor Hamer-Jackson would otherwise be entitled under Council Policy No. GGL-3, Remuneration, Travel Expenses, Insurance, and Communications Allowance be reduced by 10%, and that the reduction be effective from June 12, 2024 for a period of six (6) months or until such time as Council receives from Mayor Hamer-Jackson a signed letter of apology in the form already provided, whichever date is earlier.

City Council is committed to building trust in our community through accountability.