Peachland councillor tries to pressure municipal staff to approve unpermitted deck at property he was involved in selling

Photo: District of Peachland

Coun. Pete Coolio

An elected councillor with the District of Peachland has been censured for pressuring the municipality’s top bureaucrat to approve an illegal deck on a property he was involved in selling.

Coun. Pete Coolio, who is also a realtor, held a meeting on June 16, 2021 with district chief administrative officer Joe Mitchell.

A report being made public in next week’s council agenda states Coolio at the meeting “attempted to use his office as an elected official to persuade the CAO to sign a document that would approve an unpermitted existing deck on a property that he was involved in selling. “

Mitchell refused to sign the document, reported the incident to the mayor, and sought legal advice.

At a closed-door meeting on July 20, 2021, council voted to censure Coolio for his behaviour that “does not meet the standard expected by council.”

He was also removed from all committees and banned from representing the municipality at conferences or seminars.

Coolio was requested to write an apology letter to CAO Mitchell. It’s not clear at this time whether that letter was actually written. He was also banned from dealing directly with any municipal staff without prior approval from the mayor.

Coolio could not immediately be reached for comment.