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Council Preview: Gloves come off during motion debate

North Bay city council washed its dirty laundry in public Monday night, with some councillors and the mayor raising their voices a few decibels and letting the accusations fly.
North Bay city council washed its dirty laundry in public Monday night, with some councillors and the mayor raising their voices a few decibels and letting the accusations fly.

A few minutes later, though, council went into what turned out to be an extremely civil in-camera session, according to Mayor Vic Fedeli, and then emerged to pass several items unanimously.

Council first defeated a motion authored by Coun. George Maroosis and seconded by Coun. Sarah Campbell, doing so after Campbell, Mayor Vic Fedeli and Coun. Peter Chirico all got their licks in.


Then, after the closed session, council passed several real estate matters as if nothing had happened

Things started in earnest at last week’s committee meeting of council when Coun. George Maroosis gave a notice of motion stating that he wanted an expert from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to come to North Bay “to meet with the mayor and the council to review the Municipal Act, and to review the procedures for open and closed meetings as well as the duties and rights of elected members of council.”

Maroosis said he was going to bring the motion up based on complaints from other city councillors.

Coun. Sarah Campbell had told Maroosis she had not been allowed to attend a “what-if” meeting concerning the possibility the city might have to take over Jack Pine Hill from the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. Campbell believed she should have been invited to the meeting since she is an authority board member. The mayor, Chirico, Tom Mason and Dave Mendicino were the only councillors present.

During Monday night’s council meeting, Maroosis said his motion was strictly requesting more information and didn’t come out of “an accusation of impropriety.”

Campbell said the motion “should be supported by everyone at this table because the Municipal Act has been breeched.”

It was defeated 7-4, with only Campbell, Maroosis, Maureen Boldt and Judy Koziol voting in favour via a recorded vote.


BayToday.ca will have more on this story later this morning.