About 20 people rallied around town councillor Marni Fedeyko in the heart of the Historic Cochrane, Oct. 23, and expressed their displeasure with how she's being treated at town hall.
Former mayor Judy Stewart organized the rally and paper hand cutouts were given to people to hold when they spoke at the peaceful but meaningful gathering.
"I think it's a good show of support," said Stewart. "I think what we have to do is start standing up and telling council that this is inappropriate behaviors, and we want it to stop."
It was not uncommon to hear comments like, "Marni, I do appreciate what you're holding up. I do have a little bit of a taste of being the person witch hunted, and at this point in time, I think it is at a head in so many places and you continue to have my quiet silent support. Keep standing. It's there."
"Those voices of critical thinking, of asking those questions, which is her job, that is why we voted her in for, and they're being silenced," said Dan Cunin, who has run several times for council and remains active in public affairs. "I don't pretend to know all the details, but I don't need to. Fairness, accountability, transparency, dignity are all being really smacked in the face."
Fedyko's family was there to support her, including ex-husband Mike, who continues to reside in the community.
It was Mike who came up with the words "Drain the Swamp" for the placard rotated between their son Corbyn and daughter Natonya. He says it stands for the need to reboot most of Cochrane's current councillors.
He called the brutal attacks on her character absurd.
"It's so laughable and ludicrous that I can't believe those documents are going around," says Mike. "The bullying claimed by the bullies, and that absolutely the high mind of the council is disgusting. I know there are days you want to quit, but don't."
James Perras, a resident of Cochrane since 1989, was appalled by what he saw happening in council back then and says it reflects shades of what is possibly happening now.
"I read stuff in the newspaper, and it almost sounded to me like it was the same sort of stuff. You raise a question about some particular policy, or some decision and you'd get ostracized."
While he was never on council, he helped others get elected. Following one particular municipal election, his confidential immigrant information was leaked to the local newspaper (he had already lived in Canada for over 40 years). He claims the town manager was working with the RCMP to discredit him with a spying operation.
"I was getting threatening phone calls, and my car was vandalized when I lived in Glenbow, but I wasn't going to let them intimate me."
He ended up hiring a lawyer and said it helped end the intimidation.
Stewart wants to see some new faces on council.
"I don't know who it will be or how it will get done, but this town is notorious for rising to the occasion. I'm more interested in people running for council who care about the people who live here, and I'm less interested in people who want to create and leave legacies. To me, that's a bunch of bs. That's what this bunch is trying to do."
At times being unsuccessful at fighting back tears, Fedeyko says she's still standing and will continue to bring forward concerns expressed to her by residents.
"It's been kind of emotional," said Fedeyko. "It's so great to see people come out and give their support. People appreciate the fact that somebody's listening to them, and I can't be more thankful for some of the words that I've heard. I think it shows that people do want positive leaders, and they want to see some change from this happening because at the end of the day, singling out anybody for any particular reason is not the way anybody should work within an organization."
Fedeyko says she has sent letters to Premier Daneille Smith, Municipal Affairs minister Ric McIver, local MLA Peter Guthrie, and has spoken with the provincial government's ombudsman and several lawyers.
She says she's one of many councillors in the province who are being victimized by the weaponization of the code of conduction, and that most of them are women.
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"What is happening is not right, and when I spoke with Municipal Affairs, I know that they've heard some stories, and they agree it's not right. The fact is we need somebody to take a deeper look into this," she says. "This is not about pointing out any wrongdoing, but I think that's just having more eyes and ears on a situation that I think other people are noticing that things are not quite right in town right now."
She says a string of emails she calls extremely defamatory have been sent to people and organizations in town from an encrypted account.
"Council and the CAO are well aware of these. I know that some people have said that they aren't, but they are aware of them. I am taking next steps with legal, and I have disclosed them to the RCMP. I'm doing things on my own to protect myself because at the end of the day my safety and my heathy are important so I have to look out for myself."
A 13-year Cochrane resident, Fedeyko says she's done a lot of volunteer work in the community and that, along with her parenting, is being attacked.
"The fact that somebody has taken my name, my reputation and tried to smear it, dirty it by sending it out to organizations and individuals around this town is really heart-breaking to me. My personal life, my parenting, that's nobody's business, that's my personal existence, and I think everybody deserves to have privacy. Mayor, council members, we have lives outside of our job like everybody else does and, yes, I realize that when you're a council member, you're always looked at as a council member, but this kind of stuff is not right. They've taken shots at me and they're hurtful."
Fedeyko declined to comment on what her political future holds, only saying that she has plans in the works.