‘I’ve come up short on this one’: Mayor
By Greg Kielec Electric bike users will not be shut out of Lamoureux Park, thanks to a compro- mise solution proposed by Mayor Bob Kil- ger. Cornwall city council decided Monday night to allow the e-bikes in Lamoureux Park, but only on trails running along the St. Lawrence River in the southern portion of the park. The decision was an amalgam of three dif- ferent proposals from administration: to allow unfettered access to city trails or to ban the bikes altogether from recreational trails, or to allow e-bikes only to the east and west of the park. Kilger raised the option during debate on a motion proposed by Councillor Glen Grant which would have restricted e-bike trail access to east of St. Lawrence College and west of the Seaway International Bridge. Grant proposed Option 1 from administra- tion banning e-bikes from the city’s central waterfront trails after a motion by Council- lor Andre Rivette to ban the e-bikes alto- gether was soundly defeated. Grant argued the e-bikes should be banned from the city’s bustling trails in Lamoureux Park near the city’s downtown because of potential danger of collisions be- tween e-bikes and other recreation trail traf- fic, including walkers and rollerbladers. But Councillor Elaine MacDonald com- plained administration was creating a big “no go zone” by restricting e-bike trail ac- cess to east of St. Lawrence College. Please see PROPOSAL: Page 3 Council avoids e-bike revol t
By Greg Kielec
Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger has conceded he dropped the ball in allowing council members to gang up on Councillor Andre Rivette during a closed council session on Feb. 27. “I’ve come up short on this one,” Kilger mused at an April 23 council meeting as he reflected upon a report by closedmeeting in- vestigator Stephen Fournier which was criti- cal of how an in camera session was used to batter the veteran councillor. But there was no public apology from either Kilger – who said he had already apologized to Rivette in private –or from any other mem- bers of council for “blindsiding” Rivette dur- ing the closed meeting. The closest thing to an apology was from Councillor Elaine MacDonald, who said it is “regrettable” that Rivette suffered some “anxiety” as a result of how he was treated in the meeting. “I agree that we made a mistake and we re- ceived some excellent recommendations fromMr. Fournier,” she said. Councillor Denis Thibault, said to be one of Rivette’s harshest critics in the Feb. 27 closed session, did not attend last Monday night’s meeting. Leslie O’Shaughnessy walked out of the closed session Feb. 27 because of howRivette was treated. Although he is no longer on council – he recently resigned his seat over frustration with city hall – he was in the au- dience last Monday night in a show of sup- port for Rivette. Councillor Bernadette Clement also spoke on the issue, but did not apologize for coun- cil’s actions. She said councillors have learned they must be “very careful” about
Photo by Greg Kielec Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger watches Councillor Syd Gardiner speak during a meeting last Monday. Kilger said he dropped the ball in allowing Councillor Andre Rivette to be ganged up on during a closed council session Feb. 27.
proper decorum in the closed session. Last Monday, he was more pragmatic. “We will learn from this” and communicate better why and when move council moves behind closed doors, he told council, explaining ig- noring proper procedure is not an option. He said although Fourier’s recommenda- tions are not binding, city hall will adopt the recommended best practices and will also update its website to reflect the recommen- dations in the report. Rivette told The Journal after the Feb. 27 meeting that he believed he “struck a nerve” when he advocated taxpayers shouldn’t be saddled with the estimated $1.4 million cost of settlements and legal fees the city has paid in the past year to deal with personnel issues.
following proper procedure. “I think we are learning from it (the report),” she added. Council will implement the report’s recom- mendation of adopting “best practices” of other municipalities in determining how and when to enter in camera sessions, upon the suggestion of Rivette at Monday night’s meeting. The report also recommends that Kilger en- sure council members do not stray from the topic intended for discussion during a closed session. Kilger had initially defended the decision to air the issue in closed session during an in- terview with The Journal days after the Feb. 27 meeting. But he refused to say at the time whether he thought councillors followed
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