There’s been unrest for Wetaskiwin city council. It’s been more than a month since Wetaskiwin Mayor Joe Branco was banned from city hall and attending council meetings in person.
The reason for the ban is unknown. Multiple requests for interviews have been declined. Branco has not responded to Global News’ request for an interview.
A Global News crew was sent to a public council meeting on Tuesday, but council would not allow cameras inside. As the city’s official response to the mayor’s ban continues to be “no comment,” more issues are arising.
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In a special council meeting at the beginning of March, a motion was put forward to hire a third-party contractor to investigate the reason behind the mayor’s ban. Council also wants the contractor to investigate ongoing threats aimed at city administration. RCMP has confirmed it is investigating the threats.
Residents want answers.
Sandra Kim said she has been living in Wetaskiwin for 45 years. She said she is disappointed in city council, and while she believes there should be more transparency from public officials.
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“I think that is felt by a lot of residents,” Kim said. “If this is a code of conduct issue, we need to know as residents what that code of conduct violation is.”
Kim said the city’s strategy of not addressing the issue is not doing them any favours.
“We are going to fill in our own gaps and that is going to lead to a worse communication strategy.”
The next council meeting is on March 24.
For democracy sake, the viters need the reason their elected representative is banned from council. Is it corruption? Physical threats? Other councillors just banning him because of his policies? The citizens need answers.
Demand another municipal election and ensure the current mayor and council are not on the ballots.