Marni Fedeyko is preparing to take the chair as Cochrane’s deputy mayor on June 26, ending a long debate over whether she would be allowed to serve after sanctions were placed on her by town council in May 2024.
Her opportunity to fill in for the mayor isn’t the result of any decision by her fellow councillors. It came after Bill 50 received Royal Assent on May 15, effectively stripping municipalities of the authority to enforce local Code of Conduct bylaws.
“I’m pretty happy,” said Fedeyko. “I did turn it down earlier in my term in 2021, only because life was quite busy and chaotic for me at that point. Then, when I was finally ready, I got sanctioned and it was removed from me. It’s only by the grace of good luck that Bill 50 has come into effect that I’m able to take on that role.”
As deputy mayor, Fedeyko will represent the town when Mayor Jeff Genung is unavailable and chair the committee-of-the-whole meetings until the next municipal election on Oct. 20.
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There were a number of close votes over whether she should serve as deputy mayor. She was originally appointed to the position during council’s 2024 organizational meeting, but that was overturned when administration ruled the sanctions made her ineligible.
Coun. Morgan Nagel, who is running for mayor in October, called the entire matter exhausting and expressed his frustration in a rare emotional outburst during a January meeting.
“I think there are members of council who, honestly, just wanted me to have the same opportunities that they’ve had,” said Fedeyko. “And I think my case has gone on long enough, and I think some people are just ready to roll on with the future.”
While the deputy mayor issue may be behind her, Fedeyko remains embroiled in a legal dispute with the town.
At the June 23 council meeting, she gave notice of a motion requesting the town release all legal and associated staff costs tied to meetings, investigations, and sanctions against her, dating back to 2021.
“I actually asked for it to go back to the beginning of the term because I don’t know how long stuff was being investigated in the background prior to me finding out,” she said, adding that taxpayers deserve to know how much has been spent.
The motion is scheduled to be debated on July 14.
Fedeyko said the issue has come at a personal cost — she’s now spent more than $70,000 defending herself.
In April, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner confirmed it had accepted a privacy complaint she filed against the town last December.