Employee’s words may leave bad taste in municipality’s mouth

A quip in a local newspaper may have gotten a Municipality of Jasper employee into some hot water.

Eyebrows raised when a quote from a municipal employee was printed in the Feb. 4 issue of the Jasper Booster. The words appeared in the Jasper Views section, in which individuals are asked to briefly respond to a given issue.

That week’s Jasper Views asked, “What do you think about the proposed renovations to the Jasper Activity Centre and Aquatic Centre?”

The reply was, “I couldn’t care less.”

Municipal manager George Krefting said the man may have been misunderstood. “I’ve spoken to the employee and I think the employee feels that isn’t what he meant, I think he feels he was misquoted,” Krefting said.

“The employee indicated to me that he does not use the Activity Centre and somehow his comments got put in the way they got put in.”

When contacted, the employee declined to discuss the comment.

At the moment, municipal staff are not instructed about giving their opinions in public. “They’re not told that they can or can’t speak to the press, we don’t have a specific policy in that regard,” Krefting said, adding that he did not speak with the man to admonish his actions. “There’s been no reprimand, no.”

Though the municipality is planning to develop a communications strategy, its direction is unclear at the moment. “In a sense, part of the communications strategy is the idea of training our employees and elected officials and anybody who’s involved with the municipality on how to deal with it when you’re asked to respond in a public venue or by the press,” Krefting said.

“So that could be, but I’m not saying it will be, part of the communications strategy to have formalized training.”

Krefting said employees are entitled to live their own lives outside their workplace. “But at the same time, you’re an employee of your newspaper [for example],” he said. “I expect that you have a certain allegiance... that your employer would expect you to be an advocate of your business as well. There’s a balance there.”

Though neither the man’s employer nor his position was listed in the paper, the Jasperite was recognizable to some locals. Krefting said a comment like this doesn’t necessarily tarnish the municipality’s reputation.

“I suppose people would view it in different ways, some might say yes it does reflect poorly on the municipality if an employee makes a comment of that nature,” Krefting said. “But again others might say every employee has a right to express their views about anything they wish to express their views on.”