Newly-appointed Tantramar Deputy Mayor Josh Goguen recently told CHMA two code of conduct complaints filed during this spring’s municipal election campaign and ‘unanimously dismissed by council with no further action’, changed how he approaches social media, public communication and his role as an elected official.
Goguen was appointed deputy mayor by fellow members of council following the municipality’s first organizational meeting. The appointment came about a month after council reviewed and dismissed two code of conduct complaints filed against him during the election campaign.
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One complaint involved Goguen’s role as an administrator of a community Facebook group. The other stemmed from remarks he made during a public election debate, where he later acknowledged referring to a resident’s complaint as “silly.”
In an interview with CHMA News, Goguen said the experience left a lasting impression.
“Definitely, it was a huge wake-up call for what I was doing with the group.”
In the pre-election meting, Goguen told council he had stepped back from moderating the Facebook group in question. He said the move was made to avoid confusion between his role as a councillor and his involvement in community-run online spaces.
Council ultimately dismissed the complaint, with several councillors describing the situation as a “lesson learned” about perception and the challenges of social media.
Goguen said the discussion highlighted the need for clearer guidance.
“Going forward, I think we need to decide as a council as to have a very robust social media policy.”
The second complaint involved comments Goguen made during a public debate. During council’s review of the complaint, Goguen apologized publicly.
“I want to start by saying that I regret the way I spoke during the public debate. Calling a resident’s complaint silly was the wrong choice of word,” he told council.
Council later dismissed that complaint as well.
Goguen said the experience reinforced the importance of being mindful of how comments are received by residents.
“It probably wasn’t the way that I should have addressed it, and I did apologize to the complainant.”
Several councillors said the complaints did not amount to code of conduct violations, but affirmed there were lessons to be learned, and possibly new policy to be written.
Now beginning a second term on council and serving as deputy mayor, Goguen said he hopes those lessons help guide future discussions around public engagement and online communication.
About the reporter
Clinton Davis is a PT journalist/producer with CHMA News covering Tantramar (including Sackville, Dorchester, Port Elgin, Midgic and surrounding communities). He reports on municipal government, public safety, community events, local business, regional issues and ideas across Tantramar.
