Westlock County Coun. Don Savage has clarified his claim of conflict of interest over the Tawatinaw Valley Ski Hill deal.
Savage made his declaration before the vote on a preliminary deal at the Nov. 10 council meeting and then abstained from any further involvement in the issue.
The claim was made after his wife, Geri, took a job managing parts of the hill on behalf of new owner, DK Consulting Services’ Dom Kriangkum.
“I think Dom came around the first of November and he said, ‘You know Geri, would you consider working for me?’” said Savage.
Geri Savage has previously assisted Kriangkum, in preparing documents for the ski hill. Savage says as his wife was not paid for that work, neither stood to financially benefit from it, or any decisions made by council.
As soon as it became clear to him there was a chance either stood to make money off the deal, Savage says he raised the issue with county CAO Peter Kelly, who advised him to withdraw from discussions.
“At that point I came in and said to Peter, you know Peter, Dom offered Geri a job and I think I can’t be voting on this,” Savage said. “Peter advised me, he said ‘Don, you can’t partake in any vote regarding Tawatinaw anymore.’ So, I stayed out.”
The Municipal Government Act (MGA), under section 170 (1) b states that “a councillor has a pecuniary interest in a matter if the councillor knows or should know that the matter could monetarily affect the councillor’s family.”
A later subsection, 170 (3), lists a number of things that do not create a conflict of interest for a councillor when taken with section 170 (1) b, but Geri Savage’s role in assisting Kriangkum is not covered by those exclusions.
Reeve Bud Massey says that the MGA could be clearer and that Coun. Savage retains his full support.
“I’m very confident that Don Savage participated until there was any threat of conflict of interest and then withdrew,” he said. “I have nothing to lead me to believe that that is not the case.
“Under the MGA it can cut both ways. You’re not supposed to declare unless, but you have to declare if there is.
“So it has to not just be an interest, it has to be a pecuniary interest, so a financial interest.”
According to official records, Coun. Savage only voted on aspects on the ski hill deal once during his wife’s time consulting for Kriangkum.
That came at the Oct. 13 council meeting, where councillors voted 7-0 to reject two offers on the table. One of the rejected deals was from Kriangkum and it appears Geri Savage worked on that submission.
County administration, under the direction of council, then went and negotiated with a number of potential stakeholders, including the two unsuccessful applicants.
Kriangkum says Geri Savage’s involvement from his side ended before those negotiations began and he became the eventual, successfully bidder.
“We prepared the document and then submitted it and then the county rejected all of those,” he said. “Then the county allowed Peter Kelly to negotiate with each party that submitted and Geri had no input on that.”
Both Coun. Savage and Kriangkum also say that Geri Savage’s input into the ski hill documents was limited.
“It was just one person helping another,” Coun. Savage said.
“We’ve know Dom Kriangkum for a number of years and Geri actually offered to help him.
“It wasn’t that big, but she researched a lot of numbers in respect to how well he might do or might not do.
“It was just two neighbours working together.”
