FILE PHOTO - Kamloops mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson at a March 28, 2023 council meeting.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Kamloops mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was removed from his seat on the regional district board of directors and the Kamloops airport authority this summer. Three months later, council had decided he'll have to essentially apply to get back those jobs back.

The rest of council decided the mayor will have to apply for reinstatement by way of a notice of motion in a closed council meeting, according to a City of Kamloops media release issued Thursday, Oct. 24.

"Council continues to have concerns that Mayor Hamer-Jackson’s conduct is causing significant legal and reputational risk to the municipal corporation," the news release read.

Councillor Stephen Karpuk took over Hamer-Jackson's seat at the Thompson Nicola Regional District and he'll stay there indefinitely as council awaits the mayor's next move.

Hamer-Jackson was removed from the regional district board and the airport authority in July in response to a list of recommendations from Henry Braun, a provincially-appointed advisor who found the mayor to be largely the source of dysfunction on city council.

Council said at the time he had a "persistent refusal to adhere to sound municipal governance practices." He hasn't adopted any of Braun's recommendations.

Hamer-Jackson was also asked to sign a letter of apology in July, something he said would include an admission to things he hasn't done. The contents of that letter aren't known, but he refuses to sign it.

Asked about Thursday's announcement from the city, Hamer-Jackson said he was "not surprised" and called council "predictable."

"I knew right at the get-go they were going to extend it somehow," he said.

While he does want to be reinstated, he refused to concede to applying for the job through a notice of motion, especially not one in a closed council meeting. He said the decision should be transparent and said as the mayor, he shouldn't be required to apply for roles that would normally be part of the job.

Hamer-Jackson affirmed that he does plan to address the matter at an open council meeting.

Aside from lost income due to his removal from the regional district and airport authority, he also had his salary reduced by 25 per cent.

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