RM of Baildon #131 Coun. Jerry Kaiser has been disqualified from office for breaking conflict of interest rules, according to a statement released on Thursday by the rural municipality.
The statement says that councillors are required to recuse themselves from deliberations and voting on matters when they are in a conflict of interest.
“Members of council can be disqualified and their offices declared vacant when they do not abide by these rules. The result of a disqualification under The Municipalities Act is that the councillor is prohibited from being nominated or elected for municipal office in Saskatchewan for a period of 12 years,” said the statement.
The RM alleges that at the Oct. 2 regular meeting of the RM of Baildon council, Kaiser failed to declare a conflict of interest in five resolutions. The RM added that Kaiser participated in deliberations on the five resolutions and voted on them.
“Two of the resolutions directly related to permit applications that Councillor Kaiser had put before council for consideration, and another directly related to the dismissal of a Code of Ethics complaint that he had brought against RM Administration,” said the statement.
Council then determined that, as a result, Kaiser had violated the conflict of interest provisions of The Municipalities Act and, by law, was disqualified from office.
The RM says Kaiser received written notice of council’s position in letters dated Oct. 4 and Oct. 10. He was also given the opportunity to respond to the allegations both in writing and verbally at a special meeting.
“Councillor Kaiser was also afforded the right to resign voluntarily, which is provided for in the legislation,” said the statement.
The special meeting to hear from Kaiser was held on Thursday, which Kaiser did not attend.
As a result of the meeting, the council adopted resolutions to:
- Confirm Kaiser’s disqualification as councillor in Division 5
- Declare the Division 5 office vacant
- Declare that Kaiser is prohibited from either being nominated or elected in a municipal election in Saskatchewan for 12 years.
Ultimately, Kaiser is no longer eligible to be elected in any municipal election in Saskatchewan, including Reeve of the RM of Baildon.
“Baildon Administration is consulting the rules regarding municipal elections in Saskatchewan to determine the proper course of action regarding the election for Reeve in Baildon and Mr. Kaiser’s prior nomination,” the statement concluded.