00:00The political standoff at the Separia Corporation continues, with Alderman Victor Roberts pushing back against the Mayor's account of the
00:09fallout.
00:09Roberts tells the Morning Edition the Mayor must remember his place, and insists council business can continue as it relates
00:18to the four standing committees.
00:20Those committees take precedence over any ad hoc committee, so there is room, as it relates to this committee already,
00:30have chairman appointed to them for the council to reconvene, and we can move forward from there.
00:37Alderman Victor Roberts says, while the Mayor is expected to seek legal advice on the dispute, that does not give
00:44him license to speak to councillors however he pleases.
00:47Roberts also responds to claims by the Mayor that their actions were taken, following instructions from the Leader of the
00:55Opposition.
00:56The Mayor accustomed putting his foot in his mouth as it relates to saying things that he have no evidence
01:04of.
01:07We caucus as the opposition in the council, we have reached a consensus,
01:15and based on that, and based on our interpretation of the standing orders, we decide that we cannot go forward,
01:25except that this matter have what we call attorneys explaining their interpretation to us, and so that all of us
01:37could be on the same page moving forward.
01:39Roberts also claims that the dispute between him and the Mayor actually began within the first year of his tenure
01:47as an Alderman under the UNC,
01:50after he objected to a proposal to move cooperation funds to another constituency before money was even invested in the
01:58Separo community.
01:59He claims he was told his role was to support whatever the Mayor puts forward, but says he is no
02:06robber stamp and will not be instructed on how to vote.
02:10Roberts claims that stance led to him being called a traitor and is the genesis of the tensions coming to
02:17the fore today.
02:18Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
02:22.
02:23.
02:24.
02:25.
02:25.
