A Riverview town councillor is expected to issue a public apology next month following a code of conduct complaint stemming from a social media post.
During Monday’s town council meeting, Mayor Andrew LeBlanc said Councillor Cecile Cassista has indicated she will bring forward a response at the September council meeting.
“We do have something coming forward in the September council meeting,” LeBlanc said. “It will be dealt with at the meeting next month.”
An independent investigation in June found Cassista breached the town’s code of conduct rules in one of her social media posts. Steps were then discussed as to what action should be taken, and it was decided that there should be a formal public apology and that the Councillor should undergo social media awareness training.
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Concerns were raised in a letter from former town Councillor Jeremy Thorne that no deadline had originally been attached to the requested apology.
Councillor Kelly Forsythe-Preston acknowledged the process did not initially include a timeline, noting council members were navigating their first meeting together when the issue arose.
“This has been something that people have talked about since our first council meeting,” she said.
Forsythe-Preston described the meeting as “very difficult” and said the situation was awkward and uncomfortable for members of the newly elected council.
“But, as representatives of this great town and its people, councillors have a responsibility to behave and speak in a way that is respectful and reflective of the values of the position we hold,” Forsythe-Preston said.
She added she does not expect similar behaviour from the current council and hopes the matter can be put behind them.
“I would hope that we can draw a line under this and move forward in the interest of positivity and a real desire to get the work done for the job that we were elected to do,” she said.
Mayor LeBlanc added that Cassista has now provided her own timeline for addressing the issue. He expects council will receive correspondence in September and expressed hope the matter can then be closed.
“Hopefully that will close things off, and we’ll be able to move forward and just focus on town business from here on out,” he said.
