Kamloops city councillor's secret recording scandal far from over

Kamloops city councillor Bill Sarai's apology is the beginning of another chapter at city hall now that the truth of his secret recording has been revealed. It's a saga the city councillor started by revealing the recording's existence to Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson this fall, but the price he'll pay won't be clear until the conclusion of an internal investigation. A new code of conduct investigation will examine Sarai's recording from nearly two years ago and likely his attempts to conceal that it was his. On Dec. 3, Sarai apologized to the mayor at a last-minute council meeting https://infotel.ca/newsitem/sarai-apologizes-for-secret-recording-of-kamloops-mayor-wont-step-down/it107363 both for secretly recording it and for then lying to him about its origin. During his apology speech, Sarai admitted to breaching the code of conduct, but an investigator will be tasked with finding which rules were broken and what sanctions, if any, council should lay on him. It's a process this council has grown familiar with, and they suggest they won't shy away from sanctions against Sarai if they're warranted. 'THEY SHOULD FEEL HUMILIATED' "We'll look forward to the recommendations that come and he'll be held to account," councillor Kelly Hall said. The recording, published by iNFOnews.ca last week, https://infotel.ca/newsitem/youre-the-snake-kamloops-councillors-secret-recording-revealed/it107317 was of a meeting in the mayor's office less than three months after this council took office. It quickly devolved as Sarai began yelling insults and obscenities at the mayor, with momentary pushback from Hamer-Jackson. "I think both individuals should feel humiliated that they participated in that conversation," Hall said, adding that he was "extremely disappointed" upon hearing the recording. Whether trust in Sarai among his colleagues is tarnished for good, however, isn't clear. READ MORE: Sarai apologizes for secret recording of Kamloops mayor, won't step down https://infotel.ca/newsitem/sarai-apologizes-for-secret-recording-of-kamloops-mayor-wont-step-down/it107363 "I think the admission is one thing, to publicly apologize to the general public, council and the mayor, to recognize that you lied, that you broke the code of conduct — I think those are all important. The words we heard today are important," Hall said in an interview after the meeting. "More importantly may be the actions to come. We'll be looking forward to seeing those actions in the community." Councillor Katie Neustaeter said Sarai is on a path to redemption after shying away from admitting what he did, but she didn't say whether or not her trust in him has been affected. "Councillor Sarai has been an excellent colleague, a devoted councillor, but that does not negate the seriousness of this situation. It should be concerning," she said. "An apology is a beginning to rectifying trust. I think that was witnessed today, but it is certainly only the beginning of making things right." Hamer-Jackson, however, said he hasn't trusted Sarai for some time. The revelation of the secret audio file only strengthened his resolve. "I don't know how anybody could. He doubled-down," Hamer-Jackson said. "He apologized to me... but he didn't do that in our dialogue with my texts." The mayor doubts council will bring any substantial sanctions after the code of conduct investigation, suggesting Sarai should walk away from council on his own. "I don't believe they're going to put any heavy measures on him anyway. I believe he should resign," Hamer-Jackson said. "How can I trust him?" NOT THE FIRST TIME No previous council has been subject to a code of conduct bylaw and it's hard to imagine another that would have faced so many conduct investigations just halfway into the term. Since its adoption in mid-2023, there have been more than 20 investigations. The majority have been withdrawn or dismissed. Three ended with a conclusive finding of a code breach and a fourth seemed to point at Sarai, ending without a definite finding. Their timelines vary, but they often take at least a few months before a final report is presented to council, if one is written at all. They often are not. The costs also range from a few thousand dollars to more than $60,000. Hamer-Jackson has long criticized the code of conduct process, claiming the City hires lawyers to "get the results they want." Though he has, at times, spoken with investigators, he vowed not to for this one. "The evidence is all right there. It's right there. You can hear it," he said of the recording. Sarai is no stranger to facing questions from workplace investigators after alleged breaches. Of the three past breaches, Sarai was to blame for one, but the investigator said the indiscretion was "trivial in nature." https://infotel.ca/newsitem/taxpayers-funding-17-kamloops-council-conduct-investigations-in-9-months/it102858 He was accused of a conflict of interest when he spoke out at a council meeting to defend the bylaw department from Hamer-Jackson's comments he perceived as disparaging. Sarai's son is a bylaw officer, but he claimed he was defending city staff at large and wasn't considering his personal connection. The investigator found the code of conduct policies were too stringent and suggested council do nothing but consider adjusting the policy itself. Sarai also caused concern for investigators when they sought to determine who leaked a confidential report https://infotel.ca/newsitem/one-kamloops-councillor-concerned-leaks-investigators/it106092 , but it ended with no answers. The report was never brought to council as they were all subject to investigators, aside from the mayor, and found to be in conflict anyway. Hamer-Jackson was found at fault in the other two code of conduct breaches. The most recent took six months for the $46,400 investigation report to be completed and released https://infotel.ca/newsitem/mayor-hamer-jackson-leaked-documents-in-april-investigation-ruled-it-unlawful/it106876 after the complaint was filed. He was also found to have breached the code in the very first investigation, which began with a complaint by Neustaeter in July 2023, but that one still hasn't been released. It cost the city $8,900. READ MORE: JONESIE: There's indeed a snake at Kamloops City Hall https://infotel.ca/newsitem/jonesie-theres-indeed-a-snake-at-kamloops-city-hall/it107333 It's not clear who filed the newest complaint against Sarai, but the City has generally historically refrained from naming both complainants and those subject to the investigation until a report is issued. If the investigator finds Sarai breached the code of conduct, a final report complete with recommendations for possible sanctions or policy changes will go to council for a vote. The only punishment for Sarai so far has been a removal from this month's deputy mayor duties, which he was previously tasked with. It's a job that rotates so there is a second-in-command when the mayor isn't available. During Hamer-Jackson's term, however, the role brings more responsibilities as the mayor has been removed as the city's official spokesperson. Whether he'll be included in the 2025 deputy mayor rotation isn't clear, but Hamer-Jackson is expected to bring his annual schedule to an upcoming council meeting. 'NO APOLOGY AT ALL' Though the recording is from January 2023, the more recent episodes started this past September when Sarai revealed its existence to the mayor for the first time, then claimed someone sent it to him. Sarai edited the audio so it included the one moment in which Hamer-Jackson raised his voice in an effort to make him look bad. iNFOnews.ca reported in October that it was Sarai's recording https://infotel.ca/newsitem/next-move-unclear-as-kamloops-mayor-learns-argument-with-councillor-secretly-recorded/it106916 , but the councillor refused to comment when asked about the matter and said he was "not interested in engaging" with "opinions." Sarai later admitted to lying about the recording and council called a special meeting upon the audio file's release last week. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/youre-the-snake-kamloops-councillors-secret-recording-revealed/it107317 "I made a mistake, and I'm man enough to own up to it, move on and get the help I need," he said while speaking with reporters after the Dec. 3 meeting. Council chambers overflowed with people during the meeting, largely with people demanding Sarai's resignation. They spoke with reporters outside city hall after losing an argument with city officials in an effort to speak during the council meeting. "That's not an apology at all. He should do the honourable thing and he should resign," Kathrine Wunderlich said, adding that council is "complicit" by not asking him to do so. READ MORE: Defiant and controversial: Kamloops mayor digs in with half of term left https://infotel.ca/newsitem/defiant-and-controversial-kamloops-mayor-digs-in-with-half-of-term-left/it106987 Wunderlich is part of the newly-formed city hall watchdog group Kamloops Citizens United https://infotel.ca/newsitem/new-kamloops-watchdog-wants-to-hold-city-hall-accountable-for-you/it107074 , which launched an online petition last week calling for Sarai's resignation. Since then it has picked up more than 1,000 signatures. Asked if Hamer-Jackson should also resign, she said she hasn't seen evidence to support it, suggesting the group would call for the same if they deemed it necessary. "I think if the mayor has done something that is illegal, underhanded or (reprehensible), like (Sarai) did, then he should resign as well. Do I see them being on the same level? No," she said. Though both Sarai and Hamer-Jackson have been admonished for secret recordings, with the mayor's coming later and prompting a new workplace policy, Wunderlich said they were vastly different circumstances. The mayor's recording of CAO David Trawin came to light because Hamer-Jackson tried to disclose it publicly during a council meeting, she said. "What Bill (Sarai) did was slice it and use it as a weapon, and I think that's where council is missing the boat," she said. "This was used and lied about." It's not clear how far back the investigator will look as part of the complaint, but the recording incident has connections to some of the earliest sanctions against Hamer-Jackson. Hall said the measures to "shield staff from the mayor" had "nothing to do" with the argument during the Dec. 3 council meeting, while Hamer-Jackson told iNFOnews.ca he felt "vindicated" with the recording now published, the truth appears to be less clear. The incident caught in the recording did spur two consecutive internal investigations with the first examining whether staff were harmed directly by the argument. It found they weren't, but it did stir up allegations that the mayor had bullied staff in mostly separate incidents. That instigated the head of human resources to call in an outside investigator, with the allegations and findings later detailed in the leaked Integrity Group report. It dismissed any claims that the incident between Sarai and Hamer-Jackson constituted a conduct breach against a staff member, but it was far from the only incident the investigator looked into. It would conclude without Hamer-Jackson's cooperation and found he had bullied and harassed three staff members. Both the full and edited versions of the secret recording can be found here. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/youre-the-snake-kamloops-councillors-secret-recording-revealed/it107317 To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .