Years of tension boil over as Wabana council limits mayor's power, takes his phone and office

If this is the fight that ends Gary Gosine's21-year run as mayor of Wabana, he isn't going out quietly.

It's been two weeks since a group of councillors passed a motion to strip Gosine of hiscell phone,office privileges and much of his mayoral powers.

On Friday, Gosine finally turnedhis phone in to the town office but while he's complied with that section of the motion, there's other stipulations he will not abide by.

"I'll probably do half of it, but the other half, they can take me to court if they want to," he told CBC News.

The motion was put forward by Deputy Mayor William Peddle, and voted for by councillorsRoy Bennett and Henry Crane.

Gosine said he often runs into issues with Peddle and Crane, but was surprised to see Bennett vote against him.

Messages for the councillorswere not returned as of publishing time.

Gosine said there was an allegation he used his town-issued cell phone for his trucking business, but said it wasn't true. As for the other stipulations put forward in the motion, the mayor said he can only assume they are motivated by "power and glory."

"If I go to a function, like an 80th birthday party to present a certificate, I'm supposed to have [a councillor]as my chaperone. If some business person wants to meet with me as the mayor to discuss town business, I got to have one of them present ... It's embarrassing."

Gosine said he will not abide by the "chaperone" rule, nor will he stop going to the town office.

Not the first power struggle

The Wabana council has been through the wringer since it was elected in 2017.

Tensions flared over Radio Bell Island a station ran by students out of St. Michael's Regional High, until members of the town council wanted to move it to a different location.

The infighting reached a fever pitch when a petition was set to be brought before the council, but three members didn't show up, so a quorum couldn't be reached and the meeting couldn't go ahead.

Gosine saidit's the same group of councillorsnow trying tostrippower from the mayor's chair.

His beef with Peddle goes back to 2014, when Peddle was a part-time clerk with the town office and was fired during a public meeting after accusing Gosine of giving himself tax breaks.

In 2017, he ran for council and was elected. He has since taken over the role of deputy mayor.

What next?

Gosine said he has been in contact with the provincial Department of Municipal Affairs, which advised him on which parts of the motion are enforceable and which ones likely are not.

He said he's considered taking the council to court, but the cost of a lawyer could top $500 an hour.

"I could win court costs and I may not win court costs. So that's a gamble for me."

Gosine said the majority of Bell Islanders want to see him continue as mayor of Wabana, and he intends to do his best with the restrictions now placed upon him.

"The other option was to resign, and being who I am that's not going to happen."

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