Ward 3 Coun. Gerry Montpellier ended up having to declare a conflict of interest on his own motion Tuesday at the second-to-last council meeting before the October election.
Montpellier's motion called for spending to stop on the $100-million Kingsway arena project and for staff to prepare a report on why the 2012 city council motion supporting a casino in the city didn't result in a casino operator helping to pay for a new arena.
Montpellier has been fighting to keep the Slots casino at Sudbury Downs, which is near his ward.
However, Mayor Brian Bigger ruled that Montpellier's motion would be a major change in direction, and amounted to a reconsideration of city council's decision last June to move ahead with the Kingsway project.
“I do believe it's a reconsideration of the June 27 decision,” Bigger said.
Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier said he had no issue with Montpellier's request for reports and information, but said the “burr under the saddle” in the motion was the language about stopping the Kingsway process until he got the reports.
“A councillor doesn't need a motion to ask for reports,” Cormier said, adding the information Montpellier wanted was available.
Councillors sided with Bigger, voting that Montpellier's motion was a reconsideration.
That meant Montpellier, who declared a conflict of interest in the decision on where to build the arena, had to decide whether to declare again, this time on his own motion.
City staff or his council table colleagues couldn't advise Montpellier on what to do, since declaring a conflict is up to an individual and staff can't offer direction.
Montpellier seemed determined to stay at one point before the vote, but Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer asked what the potential consequences could be if someone filed a complaint.
He was told someone found guilty of being in a conflict could be barred from council. Sizer said he wanted to be sure Montpellier was aware of that, after what Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann went through earlier this year.
Landry-Altmann was accused of having a conflict in the Kingsway decision by a downtown arena supporter, and ended up spending $10,000 in legal fees before the case was done.
Montpellier thought better of it and declared a conflict on the motion, which was easily defeated.
