Warden steps down

At the last municipal Committee of the Whole meeting Warden Scott sought her councils views on what they thought she should do.

After deliberating, she decided after last weeks budget meeting to take the job and has plans to resign as Warden at the next council meeting on Monday, April 28.

Many of her council voiced concerns over a possible conflict of interest with her sitting on the board of executives as Vice President of the South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA), the organization responsible for selling the film studio.

Warden Scott said that she could find nothing in the Municipal Government Act to say what she was doing was wrong but resigned anyway.

“It’s more the people’s perception of it than anything,” she said. “People will say, look she made sure she got a job out of the sale…people talk it’s just the way it is.”

She said that she secured the executive position at the local job expo that took place this month and started the position Monday, April 21.

“There’s nothing saying you can’t hold a job,” said Warden Scott.

She explained that she only made $17,900 a year for her Warden duties and it was just not enough to support her family.

However, councilor Sherman Embree disagrees that is the issue at all.

“This is not about her taking on a job,” he stated. “This is about the conflict on what job she decided to take.”

Deputy Warden Pat Nickerson agrees with the Warden that most of it has to do with how the situation looks to the public.

“The whole thing is the optics of it,” she said. “For her to have been on the RDA board, to have tried so hard to sell the base and then to get a job down there…it just doesn’t look right.”

She explained it is hard to tell what is illegal or not and explained that the provincial statute on municipal conflict of interest can be interpreted in many ways.

“I thought it would be best for her to stay on as warden, finish her term and not take the damn job until fall,” said Deputy Warden Nickerson about her views on the matter.

If Warden Scott goes through with her decision to stand down as Warden, there will immediately be a new Warden appointed but it will not be Deputy Warden Nickerson.

Since the Warden gave her notice, most believed Deputy Warden Nickerson to be the next obvious choice to fill the next six months as Warden until the next scheduled appointment in the fall but she said that in the last week some of the other council has begun to spread vicious rumours about her private life.

“You can’t attack my integrity…I will not be stepping into the wardens position and am seriously considering stepping down as councilor,” she said.

Deputy Warden Nickerson said that when Warden Scott sought their advice, they could not tell her yes or no but only gave their opinion.

“We could have asked her to step down if 75 per cent of us felt she was in conflict,” she said.

“It’s a good job for her, she’ll do well and she deserves it but what a shame that it is now,” said Deputy Warden Nickerson, “it doesn’t look good.”

Warden Scott still plans to rerun as a councilor for this falls election but said she will not be putting her name forward to offer as the Warden.