A petition calling on the minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs to conduct and inquiry into the affairs of Westlock County is now circulating.
County resident Ken Mead, who also served as county reeve from 2004-2007, said last week that while a recall petition is not allowed under the act, a petition calling for an inquiry is.
The wording of the petition, which Mead said he launched on Saturday, Nov. 1, is to ask the minister of Municipal Affairs to “conduct an inquiry into the affairs of council and Administration of Westlock County.”
It will require 20 per cent of county residents to sign — about 1,600 eligible voters — before it can be presented.
Mead said his intention in creating this petition isn’t to necessarily oust any of the sitting councillors, but to make sure things are being done properly and in accordance with the Municipal Government Act — to “take a close look at what’s going on.”
“There was a corporate review done a year ago (The Farmer Report) and there were some things highlighted in that,” he said. “I know that was the past council, but these things pertain year to year.
“I had hoped when I read that, that the current council would take that to heart and work on some of those things, but they don’t seem to.”
The Farmer Report, which was approved by council on May 13, 2014 and made available to the public, highlighted some concerns about the operations of the county, including low morale, councillors going in-camera to discuss things that should be discussed in public and councillors taking concerns directly to staff instead of through the CAO.
Mead said he hopes to see another review done, and wants to see the recommendations implemented, but emphasized that his goal isn’t to get the current council ousted.
“It’s never been my goal to get these guys out of power. My goal is solely to have somebody look at the discrepancies everybody knows are happening, and say this is how you have to do things different,” he said.
Reeve Bud Massey said he doesn’t think the petition will get much traction, as he has heard from many residents they’re in favour of the current council’s efforts.
“I’m hoping that it wakes up the silent majority, and people start saying what they like about what’s happening in the county,” he said.
He emphasized the council is looking to change the way things get done at the county in order to better serve the residents, including finding efficiencies and ensuring all staff have the right tools to do the job.
Massey also emphasized new CAO Peter Kelly is doing a good job, and is now in the process of going through the county’s policies and bylaws to ensure everything is being done properly.
“We have acted as we have acted traditionally. Time will tell as we do the research into the bylaws and past practices whether there are ways to improve — and we’re looking to improve,” he said.
“Council is prepared to go through the same state of change to make sure that we best serve the people of Westlock county as we’re asking everyone else to do.”
Regardless of the outcome, he said he respects the democratic process and respects that not everyone will agree with the actions of this council.
“People have a right to an opinion. I disagree with the opinion, and I really strongly hope the people that disagree with the petition will be as vocal as the people who are supporting it,” he said.
For more information about the petition, contact Mead at [email protected].
