A Quesnel City Councillor is accusing the Mayor of being a bully.
The accusation follows Mayor Bob Simpson’s statement at Council on Tuesday night that accuses Councillor Shushil Thapar of being in a conflict of interest when it comes to the supportive housing project on Elliott Street because he has rental properties in West Quesnel.
Simpson says there is some question as to whether or not he is concerned that 28 more units of low cost housing would act as direct competition to his units.
Councillor Thapar doesn’t see it that way…
“He’s a bully. He has bullied me and he has bullied Councillor Paull. Any time they oppose. Councillor Paull was asking to postpone the Sea Can container and he bullied and harassed him. He has also bullied the public.”
Thapar says he has a legal opinion saying he’s not in a conflict of interest and he feels that the Mayor’s motivation is purely political because he is voting against the project.
On the bullying accusation, Simpson had this to say…
“I am a strong minded person and i make no bones if people have not got their facts straight and if they are misrepresenting then yes i am going to make some very strong statements to that effect. Councillor Thapar is a longtime Councillor, he has tools available to him, at any time in Council Chambers if he thinks I am bullying him or he thinks I am not recognizing him, he can challenge the chair. He just has to make a point of order, he can ask for an apology from the chair, he can make his case to Council and then Council gets to actually do a straight up vote as to whether they agree with the Councillor or the Mayor.”
Simpson points out that while he feels Thapar is in a conflict that Council cannot force a member to recuse themselves from an issue.
He is also taking issue for what he calls inaccurate statements made by Thapar abut the proposed housing project on Facebook.
That matter, along with an allegation that Thapar has illegal suites in some of his rental properties, has now been referred to the Executive for a Code of Conduct investigation.