A majority of Cookshire-Eaton’s municipal council appears to be rushing to hire its general manager on a permanent basis, according to the new mayor, Daphné Raymond, in an interview yesterday, November 25. She was criticized on Monday and Tuesday in Sherbrooke media by four councillors for not explaining her decision to suspend the interim general manager, Jean-Charles Bellemare. 

Councillors Marcel Charpentier, Jean-Marc Dickenson, Nancy Laliberté, and Josée Pérusse expressed their concerns publicly about the suspension on Monday, after requesting a special council meeting on November 17. The special meeting, which is open to the public, will be held this evening, November 26, at 6:30 p.m. at Cookshire-Eaton’s town hall. 

The agenda has three items: “1. Review of the mayor’s allegations of ethical breaches; 2. Follow-up on Resolution 2025-08-0387; 3. Appointment of a general manager.” 

Wrongful acts 

Since the four council members requested the special meeting, an “Investigation Report” dated November 21 by the Quebec provincial government’s Municipal Commission concluded that “wrongful acts have been committed against the Town [of Cookshire-Eaton]” in recent months (in translation). 

“[The Town] is facing poor management of its senior staff, particularly due to the lack of supervision of a senior employee on maternity leave and her involvement in a contractual process in which she had an interest… This situation is part of a conflictual and constantly deteriorating organizational climate,” (in translation) according to the Municipal Integrity Investigations and Prosecutions Branch of the Municipal Commission (Direction des enquêtes et des poursuites en intégrité municipale de la Commission municipale). 

Ms. Raymond stated that she wants municipal council to review the report and her concerns before considering the hiring a general manager on a permanent basis. 

Follow this developing story on our Web site at www.journalhsf.com and in our December 4 print edition.