Tempers seemed to flare a little at City Council Monday night when Don Rennick of the North Bay Taxpayers association wasn’t able to make his presentation.
Mayor Al McDonald cut in just before Rennick was about to start, and asked him to apologize to council and staff for comments he had previously made. Rennick asked the Mayor to recite the comments he had made first. McDonald paraphrased the remarks “staff is either misleading council or staff doesn’t know what they’re talking about”.
Rennick wouldn’t back down, and refused to apologize for those remarks, believing they weren’t offensive and that he never accused anyone of lying. So, McDonald ruled he couldn’t make his presentation.
The mayor says he’s open to all public presentations and people’s opinions, but there is a code of conduct for anyone that speaks. McDonald says the accusations that Rennick made are not allowed in the decorum of the meeting, and as Chair he has the power to stop those presentations from proceeding.
The next meeting of council is on the 19th of September.
