City Hall can’t be trusted as CAO, council not doing their jobs.

There could be no better demonstration as to how badly the city is being run than council’s decision to approve the city manager’s legal expenses.

The city’s policy could not be clearer when it comes to what steps are required when an employee is requesting such an indemnity request specifically when it comes to defamation. It is spelled out, step by step in black and white and for all to see.

The city manager indicated she was seeking indemnification under section 20 for a defamation action against the mayor.

The title of the section of the city’s indemnity policy, “Applications Submitted Under Section 20 of the Policy in Relation to Defamation,” could not make it any clearer.

The policy is so specific it even covers the possibility the CAO may be required to apply for indemnification and lays out the process to follow.

The only role for council, according to the policy, is to, “receive, review and adopt this Policy and any recommended amendments thereto.”

So why did council need to vote on whether to pay the city manager for her legal expenses?

The only reasonable conclusion is the policy was not followed.

If council and the city manager were doing their respective jobs, the indemnity policy is so specific that there is no excuse for this issue to come before council for a vote.

The city manager’s job, first and foremost as council’s only employee, is to uphold its bylaws and policies.

Council’s job, first and foremost, is to provide oversight and direction to city administration through passage of bylaws and policies.

This situation could not make it any clearer that neither the city manager nor council is doing their jobs.

Instead of any sort of introspection, all Hatters get is lectures about how we don’t understand the roles of elected officials and administration.

If council and administration can’t be trusted to follow its own policies regarding a $6,500 expense, how can they possibly expect to garner the confidence of the public to make multi-million-dollar decisions?

The easiest answer is they can’t.

This council has demonstrated horrible judgement, it’s made disastrous decisions, it has lost the respect and confidence of no shortage of Hatters.

They need to step back, make sure the roads are plowed, grass cut and power and gas keep flowing for the next 12 months.

Even trusting them with that task may seem like a stretch but allowing them to do any more will likely lead to disaster for Medicine Hat.