Edmonton councillor posts second attack graphic, this one targeting Mayor over property taxes

EDMONTON — Eleven days after posting a photoshopped image of a council colleague burning money, Councillor Mike Nickel shared another altered image Wednesday—this one of the Mayor.

The graphic, posted to Nickel’s politician page on Facebook, shows Mayor Don Iveson’s face beside the words “shameful & egregious.”

Nickel’s post was in reference to a Council decision on property taxes Wednesday.

“Just recently, Edmonton’s Mayor voted to raise taxes on residents. This is shameful and egregious,” Nickel wrote in the post.

Iveson shared his own take of the numbers Wednesday afternoon.

“City Council just voted for my motion that includes a 0% increase in property taxes for the average homeowner and reduction of 2% in property taxes for the average Edmonton business,” the Mayor tweeted.

The difference of opinion can be found in the details of what Councillors passed 9-4.

Taxes on homeowners were increased 2.5 per cent, but that was offset with a reduction in provincial education taxes, which supporters of the plan said will result in the average homeowner paying the same as last year. Business taxes were reduced by 2 per cent.

CTV News Edmonton reached out to the Mayor's office Wednesday regarding the posted image of the Mayor.

A spokesperson for Iveson’s office, Cheryl Oxford, address the graphic by writing, “the Mayor’s answer is he does not respond to debate at that level.”

This follows an April 18 post by Nickel that showed Councillor Andrew Knack’s face posted on a cartoon body that depicted him burning tax money to pay for bike lanes. The post was later deleted.

“That’s not how, I think, the average voter wants to see elected representatives behave,” Knack said on Wednesday. “I think we need to make sure we’re leading by example.”

Knack agreed photoshopped images of council colleagues was not typical discourse for council.

The Ward 1 councillor added he was not offended by the image shared of him, but said he was concerned that Nickel is not being completely truthful in his posts about council decisions.

City Council will discuss councillor code of conduct Thursday and Knack said he was going in with an open mind about whether to support a warning for Nickel.

“If that had been done in any other workplace there would have been consequences for that,” Knack said.

Calls and an email to Councillor Nickel were not immediately returned.