ATHABASCA – A code of conduct complaint against Athabasca County reeve Larry Armfelt was dismissed last week.
A release from Athabasca County Sept. 16 stated council had discussed and deliberated the matter at a Sept. 15 public works meeting, and decided unanimously to dismiss the complaint, after a county resident took issue with Armfelt’s use of the word “dogpatch” during a municipal planning commission meeting held Aug. 25.
“Council upon reviewing the formal code of conduct complaint against reeve Armfelt, as per Section 17.6 of the Code of Conduct Bylaw, is of the opinion that there are no grounds to conduct an investigation and therefore considers the matter closed,” the statement read.
County communications coordinator Karl Kopan later clarified the matter was discussed during a closed in-camera session as it was considered a personnel matter, and that scheduling the matter for a public works meeting as opposed to a regular meeting of council was completely acceptable.
“Public works meetings are similar to regular council meetings, but one difference between them is bylaws and budgets can’t be passed at public works meetings,” said Kopan in an email, providing a link to Bylaw 6-2000, which explains the role and authority of the public works committee.
Athabasca County’s council Code of Conduct Bylaw appoints council as the investigator of any complaints.
Section 17.6, which was cited in the dismissal of the complaint reads:
“If the investigator is of the opinion that a complaint is frivolous or vexatious or is not made in good faith, or that there are no grounds or insufficient grounds for conducting an investigation, the investigator may choose not to investigate, or if already commenced, may terminate any investigation, or may dispose of the complaint in a summary manner.”
Brenda Skayman, who filed the complaint against Armfelt, said Sept. 17, said she wasn’t particularly surprised by council’s decision and would be considering her options moving forward, but would still like to see Armfelt make a public apology.
Armfelt, who was made aware of the complaint by the Athabasca Advocate Sept. 4 said at that time his use of the word “dogpatch” was exaggerated and misinterpreted, and that he was referring only to the unsightly premises the county deals with on a regular basis and not the dictionary definition which refers to the fictional home of comic book character Li’l Abner — “A poor, rural community … whose inhabitants are unsophisticated and have little education.”
Contacted for comment about the dismissal of the complaint on the morning of Sept. 18, Armfelt told the Advocate he could not provide a statement at that time. When he was asked if there was a better time to call, he said no. Armfelt was then asked to provide a quick statement on the dismissal of the complaint, if he was unable to be reached for the entire weekend at which point the call was disconnected.
The Advocate called back a few minutes later and left a voicemail, asking Armfelt to return the call. The message was not returned.
