New code of conduct for elected officials in NS a ‘huge step forward,’ says Cape Breton director

A new code of conduct for county-wide councilors has been welcomed by the Richmond County executive, who faced inappropriate behavior from a county councilor halfway through her first term.

Amanda Mombourquette and three other Richmond council members voted to ban District 2 representative Michael Diggdon from council meetings for a month in spring 2022 after an internal investigation found he violated the county’s municipal code of conduct.

The investigation began after a woman reported that Diggdon responded to her questions about finding low-income housing by texting her during a council meeting and asking her to send him a photo of herself.

Mombourquette described the previous parameters for internal municipal discipline as “vague” and said she believes the new code of conduct is a “huge step forward” that would have made it easier for Richmond County to deal with situations like the one involving Diggdon. to go.

“I think it definitely would have helped,” Mombourquette told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Cape Breton host Steve Sutherland on Tuesday.

Diggdon was defeated by District 2 challenger Lois Landry in his recent re-election bid.

Code outlines the research process

Under the provincewide code of conduct announced Monday, an outside investigator chosen by the council would intervene whenever a complaint is filed against an elected official.

After receiving the investigation report, the council decides whether there has been a violation of the code of conduct and one or more sanctions will be imposed, taking into account the nature and severity of the violation.

There are a wide range of penalties, including a formal letter of reprimand, temporary suspension from municipal commissions and boards, and a $1,000 fine for each code violation.

“The fact that it relies on an investigator, a third party – that is a person who has to demonstrate a certain level of expertise, it is someone who can investigate the matter without any sense of bias or sense of influence,” says Mombourquette, who was reelected in District 4 on Saturday.

She plans to resubmit her name for the director post when Richmond city council members are sworn in later this month.

The minister hopes that the new code will curb ‘disrespectful’ activities

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Lohr told CBC Radios Main Street Cape Breton he hopes the new guidelines will curb negative behavior within council chambers across the province.

“This addresses disrespectful comments about colleagues or council decisions. Council members will be able to publicly disagree with decisions, but they must be respectful,” Lohr told host Wendy Bergfeldt on Monday.

The code of conduct was developed after consultation with a working group that included representatives from the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, the province’s Association of Municipal Administrators and the Association of Nova Scotia Villages.

Every municipality in the province must formally adopt the new code of conduct and report to the minister by December 19.