FORT MACLEOD, Alta. – The mayor of a southern Alberta community is being suspended from all appointed positions on boards and organizations for the next six months.
A town councillor says Fort Macleod Mayor Rene Gendrewas repeatedly warned about acting outside the bounds of council procedures.
That includes serving on committees not approved by council.
Coun. Michael Dyck says administration officials came forward with a request late last year that Gendre no longer be the liaison with town council.
Gendre will remain a voting member of council and will retain the title of mayor when his suspension begins on July 1.
There are no details about how he may have stepped out of line.
Gendre said the allegations are unfounded. Since becoming mayor last fall, he has been in strong support of bringing new businesses to the town.
“Have I solicited for the town? Absolutely. Have I negotiated for the town? No way. They could not bring forth anything that I did wrong. All they said was that I didn’t cooperate,” he said.
At this point, Gendre said he will not be resigning from his mayoral position.
READ MORE: Fort Macleod mayor says six month suspension is unfounded
“If Fort Macleod wants to progress, move ahead, and not stay mired in this petty nastiness that is happening right here then they’re going to have to change, and I’ve offered the change,” he says.
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Dyck says it was a difficult move to make.
“Even to get to this point we hummed and hawed a lot,” he said Thursday. “There has been a lot of debate. There has been a lot of talk amongst ourselves in camera. This has not been an easy decision.”
Gendre has great ideas, but how he sees them through has been problematic, Dyck said.
“The actions that he has presented to council in moving foward with some of these visions doesn’t just go against our own policies, it goes against the (Municipal Government Act) itself.
“We just want, as council members in the public eye, to be doing things the way we’re supposed to be doing them.”
With files from Global News, and CJOC
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