Portfolio shuffle a punishment for amalgamation vote, says Georgetown councillor

Four Georgetown, P.E.I.,councillors had their portfolios shuffled on Monday'scouncil meeting one citingit as "punishment" for voting to pull the town outof amalgamation talks.

Four of Georgetown's six town councillors Phil Hebert, CodyJenkins,FayeMcQuillan andCindyMacLeanvoted in September to remove Georgetown from theamalgamation process.

• 'It's not for us': Georgetown pulls out of amalgamation talks
• 'Kept so quiet': Details of amalgamation kept under wraps, say some residents

This meant the end of the town's involvement in thetwo-year processto amalgamate seven communities in eastern P.E.I.

It also meantthe end of Georgetown MayorLewisLavandier'srole as chair of the group working on amalgamation.

"With no prior warning or talk of this coming, the mayor, at the end of the meeting, decided to shuffle the four councillorsthat had voted to leave [amalgamation] based on what he called 'inexperience,'" saidGeorgetown Coun. Phil Hebert.

'It shouldn't be considered a personal attack'

BecauseLavandierswitched the portfolios of the four councillorswho voted against amalgamation, and not the two councillors who voted for it,Hebertisquestioning the mayor's motives.

"I don't know how this can be better for the town," Hebert said.

"Anything that we were doing well at, or showed an interest in, we [now] have absolutely no part of. He changed the way he does thingsand to me that's proof that it's a punishment."

Hebert believes the shuffle is a personal move because of the mayor's stake in the amalgamation process.

"It shouldn't be considered a personal attack on the mayor for us leaving amalgamation because it's not about the mayor. It's about the community."

Georgetown Mayor's response

Talks around the portfolio switch having something to do with amalgamation is"blown out of proportion,"Lavandier said.

It's too bad that the councillors feel that way, but I think they'll get over it. Lewis Lavandier

"These decisions are made quite regular when you're going to a term," he said.

"This is to give them experience. I've been here for 17 years, and I've worked on all the different portfolios it's too bad that the councillors feel that way, but I think they'll get over it."

While he said the portfolio change was about experience, Lavandierdid say council's decision to abandon amalgamation in September was premature.

• 5 more Island communities start amalgamation process

"I felt strongly that we should have concluded the process and really got the information to our residents," he said.

"Our residents deserve to know what this means to their community."

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