A few months ago, Town of St. Paul council was faced with a disgruntled group of about 30 people who came to press council about rumours that Gary Ward was to be fired.
It spoke to the depth of affection Ward has inspired that so many people were outraged by the rumours and ready to fight his corner. They pointed out that Ward has given up hundreds and hundreds of not just work time, but voluntary time, to support dozens of recreation and sports groups in the community. For years, Ward has been giving countless efforts to Parks and Recreation, whether it was managing the Jr. B Canadiens team, scheduling ice time for the arenas, maintaining ball diamonds and helping to organize events like Canada Day and Family Day. Indeed, he and other staff and volunteers have had a huge role in reviving events like these that had been dying off before them.
So it was little wonder that people who didn’t even consider themselves interested in politics reacted with shock and anger over his dismissal last week.
The last several months for the town have been tumultuous, starting with the town’s takeover of the golf course. While the takeover was necessary, it was done with missteps and unnecessary harshness that exacerbated an already bad situation. Add to that the firing of the CAO, followed by the termination of Ward as recreation director, and there is no wonder that people are shaking their heads and wondering, ‘What next?’
There are two alternative explanations for Ward’s termination, one that several members of the public believe, which is that council has put pressure on the administration to terminate Ward because members are overstepping their role and/or are totally oblivious or uncaring that such a move will create a major backlash. The second official explanation is that town administration has decided to terminate Ward’s employment, having just cause.
While it is frustrating for people to hear that the town or other public bodies cannot give reasons for a termination, personnel issues are extremely sensitive, and people’s right to privacy must be respected. For those who feel that boundaries have been crossed, they may appeal to Municipal Affairs with a petition to inquire into the operations of the town and council. The other option, for those who are fed up, is to exercise their democratic right and either vote or run for office in the 2017 municipal election to affect the change they see as needed.
