The owner of a Lunenburg taxi company says he went public with allegations against Mayor Jamie Myra because he felt there was no formal way to have the matter reviewed.
Simon Gordon, owner of SaltWind Transportation, has accused Myra of inappropriate behaviour during a late-night pickup request over the weekend.
Gordon alleges Myra refused to leave one of the company’s vehicles, that police were called, and that later conversations with the mayor included comments he viewed as threatening and attempts to keep the matter private.
Myra has disputed SaltWind’s version of events, saying he has “a much different version” of what happened.
Gordon says he looked into filing complaint
Gordon says he did not initially intend to make the matter public.
He said he first looked into filing an ethics or code of conduct complaint, but learned private citizens can no longer file municipal code of conduct complaints against mayors or councillors.
“There was no way that this would ever be on record anywhere as happening unless I went and pressed charges, which is not something I’m looking to do at all,” Gordon said.
He added that the situation left him feeling he had few options.
“It kind of left me with the only option being public, kind of the public sphere,” he said.
Provincial changes removed public complaint option
The issue stems from changes made by the province last year to Nova Scotia’s municipal code of conduct process.
Under the changes, complaints can only be filed by another member of council in the municipality where the alleged violation occurred.
Gordon says that meant he had no way to bring forward a formal complaint as a private citizen.
He said going public was not a decision he made lightly, noting SaltWind is a new business that launched in March.
Town investigating
The Town of Lunenburg has confirmed it is investigating the allegations made against Myra.
The town says it is aware of the incident and has no further comment while the process continues.
Myra has said he supports Gordon’s business and emphasized that safety is important for both drivers and passengers, but added he will not be commenting further publicly.
Gordon says he is not seeking police or legal action, but wants accountability.
“Really, I’d like to see some accountability and some recognition that his position was utilized in a really inappropriate manner,” he said.
