𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥: 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

On August 5, Kamloops resident and KCU co-organizer Kathrine Wunderlich asked council a direct, legitimate question: Will public funds be used to defend Councillor Katie Neustaeter in the defamation lawsuit filed July 31 by Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson?

Normally, only Deputy Mayor for the month Councillor Sarai would answer the inquiry. Instead, Councillor Neustaeter—who should have recused herself, given 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭—offered a three-fold response which is frankly as odd as it is irrelevant and illogical:

• Neustaeter opened with a message to the mayor-despite addressing her response to Kathrine.

• Neustaeter asked if the mayor’s lawyer is a relative of Kathrine’s.

• Neustaeter offered the inverted logic that Kathrine, a resident, owes the public transparency, while Neustaeter, a public official, does not.

But that’s not where the oddities end. Neustaeter points out that the mayor initiated the 𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨𝙪𝙞𝙩, but takes no credit for herself initiating the 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Councillor Neustaeter is quick to call out others for possible conflicts and Code of Conduct violations—yet didn’t hesitate to weigh in on a matter where she has a pecuniary interest. That calls into question whether she has now engaged in an ethical breach.

The strangest thing of all is Neustaeter’s decision to weigh in apparently for the purpose of 𝙣𝙤𝙩 answering the only question posed to council.

It’s obvious why Councillor Neustaeter is trying to deflect—even if the off-topic and irrelevant ramble that came with it was a bit baffling. Her latest accusation is so clearly not about public debate or the public interest that the answer is self-evident, though probably not the one she’d prefer. There’s no way indemnification holds up here.

Sarai eventually weighed in-if it can be called that-with more deflection.

Defamation is a choice. No one is obligated to defame anyone else. However, a person who is defamed is obligated, for the sake of his or her reputation, to respond. Taxpayers should fund neither.

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐝.

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