Renfrew’s Mayor is making it clear: he is not resigning.
Mayor Tom Sidney, facing a second request from council to step down from his role following the results of the third party review into the Ma-te-Way Expansion Project, has responded in a statement that myFM obtained on Wednesday afternoon.
He says that he is disappointed with the actions of council, noting that he “recognizes and supports the need for the community to look for and expect answers,” but believes council dismissed the many reasons the report highlighted as contributing factors to focus on only two individuals.
“I want to apologise to the residents of Renfrew that the Ma-te-Way Project was not completed in a manner which was financially acceptable to me and our community,” said Sidney. “The third party review showed the need to request good and sound information in all aspects of the town. The Ma-te-Way Project has shown we did not seek it hard enough and I am sorry for that.”
Sidney would also add that he has supported and actively participated in the third party review, welcoming the recommendations made to establish “a much needed process when considering,
completing and evaluating projects.”
He would go on to note that completing and evaluating projects is an aspect that this and past councils have struggled with under the previous senior management model.
The mayor would conclude that, moving forward, he believes there is “still a lot of work to be done and is committed to working positively with his council as he believes they all have a common goal of learning, correcting and focus on improving the community.”
(written by Kasey Egan)