Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and most Sault councillors are denying any involvement in alleged secret group-chatting during Monday's city council meeting.
Ward 4 Coun. Stephan Kinach is claiming at least four of his fellow councillors, possibly as many as six, are participating in group chats.
"I saw with my own eyes some messages coming in on my neighbours' phones at the same time while sitting in the council chambers," Kinach told SooToday in an interview.
"That's where I got really suspicious," he said.
"I just didn't feel comfortable seeing what I saw. And that's the issue that I had with it."
"I just felt something was off when I witnessed this."
"If schoolyard cliques did exist, I don't think they are productive in representing the constituents that elected us. If they were to exist, I don't think that is the best way to represent your constituents."
"I think it needs to be followed up. There are rules and they need to be followed.... That's all I want," Kinach told us.
The morning after Monday's controversial debate about bulk-selling 90 parking passes in two municipal downtown parking lots, Kinach sent an email to Selva Rasaiah, a local activist and prolific letter-writer.
"It has come to my attention at the meeting on Monday there is a group chat between some councillors...." Kinach told Rasaiah.
"The longer I’m sitting on council, the more I am being disappointed by how my fellow councillors are ignoring procedures to push their own special interest groups at the expense of their constituents."
"From this Monday meeting I believe this group chat was communicating with Mayor Shoemaker at the time of discussion about the parking item while he declared conflict. He might not have responded but messages were sent in the group chat during discussion while he left the chamber," Kinach said.
"This information is yours now and you are free to use it as you deem appropriate," he told Rasaiah, who promptly forwarded it to SooToday.
Asked by SooToday to respond to Kinach's allegations, the mayor insisted he never discusses council business in chat groups with other councillors.
"Absolutely not, I believe this would breach the Municipal Act," Shoemaker said.
He said he definitely didn't participate in any chat groups during Monday's council meeting, at which he declared a pecuniary interest (commonly referred to as a conflict of interest) and left the council chambers during the discussion about parking passes.
Shoemaker told SooToday the only time he's ever participated in a group chat with council members was two months ago.
"On April 18, I sent a group text message to Couns. Caputo, Spina, Hollingsworth and Vezeau-Allen thanking them for attending a dinner with our neighbours in Garden River. This is the only group chat I’ve been a part of with multiple councillors."
SooToday emailed questions about the group chat allegations to all 10 city councillors on Wednesday afternoon and got responses from Kinach and six others.
"I am not and have never been part of a council group chat," said Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo.
"I have not spoken to Mayor Shoemaker on anything he claims pecuniary interest in. I am mindful of that and make sure not to ask about anything he would be conflicted on. I would have that same respect for any other councillors with pecuniary interest," Caputo told us.
Ward 2 Coun. Luke Dufour said our inquiry to him was the first he's heard of a council chat group.
"My messaging with other councillors on council business occurs in individual text message threads. This has been the case for both of my council terms," Dufour said.
Dufour also declared a pecuniary interest on the parking issue (he works for Social Services) and left Monday's debate at the same time as the mayor.
He outlined for us the circumstances under which a councillor group chat might be appropriate:
"It would not if there were more than five other members including yourself, because at six members it could be a quorum of council (if business was being discussed/advanced) and requires a clerk, public notice, agenda, etc.
"If there are less than five members including yourself, then it would not constitute a quorum of council. If council business is not being discussed/advanced then it is not a quorum of council regardless of the number of members. This is my understanding of the procedural bylaw and relevant portions of the Municipal Act," Dufour said.
"I think cliques exist regardless of chat groups but I don’t see chat groups as something that helps unify council as a body either."
"I am not part of any council member group chat," said Ward 2 Coun. Lisa Vezeau-Allen,
"As council we should not collectively discuss council business outside of the formal meeting: it could create quorum and jeopardizes the integrity of council.
"A group chat has its purposes, especially when organizing a group of people, but should only be used for non-business purposes (travel arrangements, special events as an example," Vezeau-Allen said.
Ward 3 Coun. Ron Zagordo said he's not involved in any chat group.
Ward 5 Coun. Matthew Scott if there's a council group chat, he's unaware of it.
"I don’t even reply all to council emails as an extra precaution."
"Group chats would be no more likely to divide city council than face-to-face, private conversations," Coun. Scott said.
Ward 4 Coun. Marchy Bruni said he might communicate with other councillors individually, but never as part of a chat group.
"I don't think it's the right thing to do. So I leave it at that."
"I mean, if you start chatting with five or six councillors, that's basically like a meeting so you can't do that."
"I go into council meetings, open-minded. I work on my agenda, through the evening we receive our council agenda and I work on it every day."
SooToday reached out multiple times to Couns. Hollingsworth, Spina and Gardi about the group chat allegations but didn't receive responses from them prior to posting of this article.