There was some disagreement at Sackville Town Council on Monday as to whether the suspension of the health benefits of a councillor who was found to be in violation of town council\u2019s code of conduct was properly approved.<\/p>\n
Local journalist Bruce Wark reported last week<\/a> on Councillor Bruce Phinney\u2019s surprise at discovering the suspension of his health plan while visiting a pharmacy to fill some prescriptions.<\/p>\n During question period on Monday, Wark asked council about the specifics of the motion to suspend Phinney\u2019s pay, and why the motion read aloud on July 12 differed from the motion as printed in the approved minutes from the same meeting.<\/p>\n CAO Jamie Burke told Wark that the suspension of Phinney\u2019s benefits, though not specifically mentioned, was implied in the phrasing of the motion that was read.<\/p>\n \u201cThe commonly understood legal definition of remuneration income moods includes benefits,\u201d said Burke. \u201cSo what\u2019s happened, I guess, is that we\u2019ve got a little error in the minutes that were approved, although the meaning of the motion doesn\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillor Michael Tower read Phinney\u2019s suspension motion on July 12, and on Monday said he would not have done so had he known that the councillor\u2019s health benefits were included.<\/p>\n \u201cThe benefits were mentioned during our discussion, and I didn\u2019t agree with that part of it,\u201d said Tower. \u201cAnd when I got the motion to read and it did not include \u2018benefits\u2019 and that was the reason why I made that motion. I wouldn\u2019t have made it if I saw the benefits were part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Other councillors said they understood that benefits were included in the motion they approved. Councillor Allison Butcher quoted from the Merriam Webster definition of \u2018remuneration\u2019, the word used in the motion to censure Phinney.<\/p>\n \u201cThe definition of it includes all compensation of which the medical plan is one,\u201d said Butcher. \u201cThat\u2019s what how I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillor Bill Evans also said he understood benefits were part of the suspension, and he felt it was \u201cclear to everybody what we were going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe motion was read, Councillor Tower read it, and we unanimously voted in favour of it,\u201d said Evans. \u201cSo there was no mistake about what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n Phinney\u2019s suspension came after a consultant was hired to look into a number of complaints against the outspoken councillor under the town\u2019s code of conduct policy. Although council and town staff won\u2019t give any information on the nature of the complaints, Phinney told Warktimes that the sanctions stem from remarks he made on two occasions back in February.<\/p>\n At a regular council meeting on February 14, 2022, Phinney made this comment during a discussion about hiring practices:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a number of what I would call unfair hiring practice. That\u2019s because of the fact that\u2026 some of the people actually even in the town feel the same way\u2026 where family members are being hired, and to me, there was one that I felt was a conflict of interest. So because of that, I think actually we should engage with a human resource management expert to turn around and help with the hiring, so that\u2019s how I feel.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Later that month, during a meeting on municipal reform, Phinney stated he doesn\u2019t believe students should be able to vote in Sackville\u2019s local elections.<\/p>\n \u201cI have never agreed that students should be part of [municipal elections.] And the reason is, because they\u2019re only citizens here for four years. And sometimes some of the decisions that are made by them can influence us for a very long time. We saw that in the provincial election. When the students are allowed to vote, actually, it\u2019s been said by many professors at the university, the only reason Megan [Mitton] got in was because of the fact that the students were allowed to vote. Now, that comes from experts, not me. So that\u2019s how I feel about it right now. And I think it\u2019d be interesting to see exactly what does happen.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sackville CAO Jamie Burke told council in July that consultants Resonance Inc. <\/a>had been hired in April to look into the complaints against Phinney. The work they did cost the town about $10,000.<\/p>\n A councillor\u2019s annual salary with the town of Sackville is about $7800.<\/p>\n