THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - Brenda Johnson's appearance at Fort Smith town council on Sept. 9 - the first since she was reprimanded by fellow councillors for revealing confidential information from in-camera meetings - was eerily normal.

Coun. Brenda Johnson was not sure what to expect going into Sept. 9 meeting of Fort Smith town council. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The committee of the whole meeting proceeded without any mention of Johnson's reprimand.

On Aug. 25, other councillors had demanded she apologize or resign - and banned her from in-camera meetings - for a media interview earlier in August about the firing of the town's former senior administrative officer (SAO) and seemingly unusual payments made to him.

Johnson was not at the Aug. 25 meeting, which made last week's gathering the first time she and other council members faced each other since her reprimand.

"I didn't know what to expect," she said following the Sept. 9 meeting.

She said council will have a regular meeting on Sept. 22, and she is now not sure what to expect at that gathering either.

Mayor Peter Martselos said the Sept. 9 meeting was normal.

Instead of apologizing for her actions as demanded by council, Johnson released a written statement on Sept. 1 apologizing to town residents for council's actions and what she called its lack of accountability, responsibility and transparency.

She went so far as to take an ad out in the Slave River Journal reiterating the apology.

Martselos said the three-member council committee which initially recommended the reprimand is again considering the matter in light of Johnson's failure to apologize.

"The committee is coming up with the next step," he said, adding he is not sure when those recommendations will be presented to council.

The former SAO, Roy Scott, was suspended in March and dismissed in May after 16 years in the position, and is now working in B.C.

Johnson brought information to council's attention that led to Scott's dismissal.

Council has decided to proceed with a forensic audit as a result of the controversy surrounding the issue.

Information in an accountant's preliminary investigation - leaked by an unknown source to The Slave River Journal - detailed a number of unusual severance payments, bonuses, education allowances and other payments to Scott since 2000, totalling nearly $500,000.

Throughout the controversy, Martselos has said he and councillors can't disclose information about the situation because of legal concerns, but maintains payments to Scott were made according to his contract.