Mayor scolds unnamed councillor, Desrosiers says it’s her

Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt at the end of a town council meeting Wednesday, Oct. 2, sharply criticized an unnamed council member for what he asserted was support for a defamatory online remark.

(Councillor Kathryn Desrosiers later in the week posted on Facebook that the mayor’s criticism was aimed at her.)

“I thought a long time about talking about this,” he said, since the online posting had occurred outside the council chamber.

However, he couldn’t let the comment pass, he continued. As mayor, he had he responsibility to maintain the “decorum and integrity” of council as a whole, and that included actions or comments made outside the chamber.

Cr. Desrosiers, in her response, said, “It is natural for residents to have opinions and concerns regarding municipal decisions; however, it is neither the responsibility nor the right of council members to dictate or control public opinion.”

For full details, see the Oct. 9 edition of The Aylmer Express.