West Nipissing councillor Guilles Tessier says despite what the mayor claims, a July 21st special meeting of council was illegal. Tessier and councillor Normand Roberge walked out of the debate to award road tender work claiming the meeting was illegal. Mayor Joanne Savage says their walkout was a disservice to voters because they avoided voting on a sensitive issue. However, Tessier disagrees and says he left and did not vote for ethical reasons.
Tessier says had he stayed, he’d be endorsing an event he truly believed was illegal. A major issue for Tessier was how councillors were given documents related to the road tenders. At a July12th meeting where the tenders were to be awarded, Tessier said the documents were taken back and he was left with the impression that more information was coming. But at the July 21st special meeting, he was given the exact documents and that left him wondering what was going on.
He says his gut told him this was wrong and he didn’t want to be part of it and walked out. Meanwhile, Tessier says the matter isn’t over. He’s deciding whether he should ask Municipal Affairs or the Ombudsman to rule on the legality of the July 21st meeting. Tessier adds some residents have told him they might also complain to the Ombudsman or Municipal Affairs and ask for a ruling.