Mitchell Had Tasted Blood and Wanted More (more, more, more)

Sept 3 2024 was the first Council meeting since the Judicial Review Decision and came right after the OIPC spanking. After entering Council chambers to cheers and applause, Mayor Clark proffered her apology to City Manager Ann Mitchell.

Mitchell failed to read the room. M itchell had a golden opportunity to graciously accept the apology and at least appear to mend fences but instead she doubled down and demanded more blood. Her astounding response was not received well by the dozens of members of the public at that meeting, a loud chorus of boos and jeers was heard across Council Chambers.

transcript of the public exchange at the Sept 3 2024 Council Meeting

It starts at 11:33 on the recording.

Transcript from the City YouTube video

CM Mitchell - Could I respond mayor Clark to that please 

Mayor Clark - well it is councillor announcements 

CM Mitchell - I can wait if you'd like me - I would like to respond to your comment

Mayor Clark - okay 

CM Mitchell - I would ask - I will accept that apology in the in the manner it's given but I would ask ask that you extend apology to the community and to everybody else in this organization as well as myself and around this table for the damage that it's done 

(Chorus of boos and jeers from the spectators)

Mayor Clark - please come to order um uh thank you for your comments 

Mitchell - You're welcome 

Video Clip of above exchange Here

City Manager Ann Mitchell musing in a year end post on Linked In gave her staff a “big shout out” for surviving the tough year that was 2024, going on to say

“Elected officials run understanding that they are public officials and thus subject to more scrutiny. Administration is providing services for the community it serves as well as implementing Council's vision. I have often said that we need to protect this sector and we all have a part to play. Let us all bring civility back - there is no room for bullies in local government.”

Mitchell’s right

There is no room for bullies in local government.

This last year has been one of turmoil at City Hall and most of it carried over from the August 21 2023 Shitshow Showdown when Mitchell refused to answer the Mayor’s questions. (The Mayor is STILL waiting for answers as is the rest of the City.)

2024 has been ridiculous in the amount of pushback we are getting from asking questions - administration has been spending far more time and money avoiding the answers even AFTER the OIPC (Office of Information and Privacy) ordered them to fulfill the FOIPs.

FOIP FOLLIES

Can we forget all the resources Mitchell brought to bear in avoiding responding to FOIPS (Freedom Of Information and Protection of Privacy) using our tax dollars? It got to the point where the OIPC publicly spanked the City of Medicine Hat by saying

“As a final note, this is the fourth application the Public Body has brought to me this year requesting authorization to disregard access requests (resulting in three decisions: F2024- RTD-03, F2024-RTD-05, and this decision). I have dismissed all of these applications on the basis that the Public Body did not provide sufficient evidence to meet its burden. These decisions should provide guidance to the Public Body as to the evidence required for these types of cases and I encourage the Public Body to ensure it has evidence to support its application before it considers bringing another one in the future.”

To put it bluntly, the OIPC told the City they screwed up - 4 times in less than 8 months!

The SANCTIONS

Although Mitchell had no official say in the sanctions, it is expected that Council would have consulted Mitchell before imposing the extreme sanctions against Mayor Clark for merely questioning the City Manager at a public meeting. (If Council did NOT consult Mitchell, that could be seen as being negligent.) These sanctions angered a large number of the public. The Shitshow continued at March 21 2024 meeting where the sanctions were handed down was 12 minutes long - there was no public discussion about the reasoning.

Mitchell came across as spiteful after the Judicial Review Decision came down nearly completely in the Mayor’s favour. The only sanctions that the judge did not remove was the request for the Mayor to apologize and Sanction #4 saying in her decision

“[72] The Councillors understand how access to the administration area of City Hall intersects with Clark’s duties as Mayor. As well, the Councillors have an appreciation of the interactions necessary between the Mayor and city staff. As a result, I am sending the issue of sanction 4 back to Council so they may reconsider the appropriate restriction that reasonably protects the City Manager but does not restrict Clark from performing her duties as Mayor.”

(I am not sure if Council has ever re-addressed Sanction #4. To my knowledge, the Mayor is still locked out of part of City Hall. No clock was ever put on the sanctions.)

When our City Manager speaks about bullying,
she might first want to cast the beam out of her own eye
before speaking about the motes in someone else’s.

After all -

“there is no room for bullies
in local government”