LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The mayor of Fort Simpson is not disclosing why, after a half-hour debate behind closed doors, village council unanimously voted earlier this week to suspend its senior administrative officer (SAO) "until further notice."

Dean Pickering, the suspended senior administrative officer of the Village of Fort Simpson, waits on the left to hear what council decided after a closed door meeting about him. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

Sean Whelly said cited privacy as the reason he cannot explain why council took the step at its regular meeting on Dec. 15.

"I wish I could tell you more, but I can't," the mayor said in an interview after the meeting.

Dean Pickering, who sat that evening in a seat along the edge of the council chamber usually occupied by media or members of the public, has served in the SAO position since September 2013.

Forrest McWade, the village's finance manager hired two months ago, has been acting as senior administrative officer as of Dec. 11.

"To me, it's business as usual," Whelly said. "(McWade) is fully qualified to take on that role."

The mayor said McWade has not served in such as position before.

The SAO is the top unelected official at the village office, overseeing operations and finances as well as advising the mayor and council on issues.

Pickering told Deh Cho Drum before the vote that the mayor was making requests he was not comfortable acting on, which led to a situation on Thursday that included police at the village office.

RCMP spokesperson Const. Elenore Sturko wrote in an e-mail that police were called to the the village office "to stand by and keep the peace. Police were not there to remove the individual from the premises, but acted as mediators."

Whelly said very little about what led to the suspension, which began last Thursday but was only approved by council Monday evening.

He said there was an issue that led to the decision, but added that "there are other issues."

Councillors debated what to do for more than 30 minutes during an in camera session.

Deliberations in-camera, with no members of the public or press allowed, are kept secret.

In camera meetings are permitted for personnel, land and legal issues, though any motion and vote must be carried out publicly.

At some points during the council debate before the vote, voices were raised loud enough to be heard through the closed chamber doors in the village hall lobby.

Asked if the suspension will be reviewed at some point in the future, Whelly did not have a specific answer.

The village will be discussing the issue further with its lawyer, the mayor said.

Asked if that meant the village could be looking at other legal options, Whelly said not until further legal advice was sought.

During the period of the suspension, Pickering is still a village employee and will still receive salary and benefits.

Pickering said he's focused on cleaning up various issues at the village hall, from the way contractors are dealt with to information technology systems, during his tenure.

Pickering came to Fort Simpson after holding similar jobs in the towns of Sundre and Smoky Lake in Alberta.

A special council meeting dealing with the SAO position has been called for Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. in the village hall.

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