Wabana mayor makes long-shot plea for unity as Bell Island beset by controversy

Walking into the council chamber this week, longtime Wabana Mayor Gary Gosine is unsteady on his feet.

Using a cane for balance, he gingerly lowers himself into a chair and takes a deep breath, once again stepping into the media spotlight to answer questions about what seems to be the never-ending cycle of controversy and tension in this struggling Bell Island community.

"It's been hard on me. My family's concerned," said Gosine, who's been mayor since 1995.

He's battling the effects of diabetes, but it's not the only issue weighing heavily on his shoulders.

A dark period

If you listen to certain people and follow the discord on social media sites like Facebook, it's clear Wabana is a town in crisis, and Gosine is making a plea for it to end.

"I'm hoping now we can turn this community around for the better, because we deserve that," Gosine said.

But if recent events are any indication, any hope for harmony is a long shot.

Wabana is one of three small communities on Bell Island, a rugged slab of rock in Newfoundland's Conception Bay.

But it's a place where very little seems to get done these days, because people are too busy clashing with one another — whether it's in the council chamber, or among those involved with community groups like Tourism Bell Island and Radio Bell Island.

And the temperature is only expected to heat up on Saturday, with critics of the board of directors of Radio Bell Island scheduled to hold a meeting to vent frustrations about what they say is a lack of transparency and accountability. 

"We face closed doors all the time," said Blair Brown, one of those organizing the meeting.

Turmoil hurting town's reputation

There have been accusations of wrongdoing, threats of legal action, and in some cases outright hostility in parking lots.

There have been police investigations, calls for financial audits, allegations of conflicts of interest, and a sensational mediator's report by retired provincial court judge Robert Smith that failed to find any solutions, but raised serious questions about whether money from government grants and fundraising was being used appropriately.

Some have called it the darkest period since the iron ore mines closed in the 1960s, and Bell Island's population, which peaked at just over 12,000 residents, began to empty out. 

It's now shrunk to just over 2,000, according to the latest census, and even the arrival of a modern ferry service to the island last year is being overshadowed by the infighting.

"I'm certainly hoping it will turn around because I can't see this place getting any worse than what it is," said Gosine.

Lack of respect, partnership

One local business owner said there's a serious lack of respect, conversation and spirit of partnership, and it's hampering attempts to rebuild the island's economy.

The business owner asked not to be identified, fearing that speaking out would invite retribution.

It's about as complex and tangled as it gets, with the friction and drama touching just about every aspect of life on Bell Island, and involving many strong personalities in positions of power and influence, right from the mayor to the principal of the local high school.

"Out of all the 28 years that I've been here, I've never seen anything like the division that there is now amongst our community," said Dawn Inglehart, a longtime volunteer and former employee of both the town and Tourism Bell Island.

Inglehart said she was recently verbally assaulted by one member of council because she clicked "like" on a Facebook post, and believes her best option now is to leave Bell Island.

She said she has fallen out of favour with those wielding the most power, and despite her experience and qualifications, doesn't expect to ever work again on the island.

"I'll own my own home in 14 months, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to sell and leave," she said.

I'll own my own home in 14 months, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just going to sell and leave.- Wabana resident Dawn Inglehart

And it's not an easy story to tell because many of those on one side of the dispute refused to be interviewed by CBC News.

"We've been down the road with the media a couple of times and each time it's not what we thought it was going to be," said Henry Crane, who's a central figure in several important organizations on Bell Island and is accused by many of being a lightning rod for division.

Crane, who was elected to the town council last year, repeatedly offered a "no comment" when reached by phone and asked a series of questions. 

Conflict about money and power

The controversy made national headlines in November after the Globe and Mail published an in-depth story about the fight over control of Radio Bell Island, and the failed attempt by Smith to mediate the dispute.

Smith's report painted a troubling picture of how a community radio station located inside St. Michael's High School became a beacon of hope and pride and much-needed revenue for the school, but then fell into chaos after a hugely successful radio bingo started generating big money.

In less than two years, the school received a windfall of $122,000 in bingo money, with similar profits split between Tourism Bell Island and Radio Bell Island.

But then the infighting started, relationships became toxic, and the school was shut out of the profits.

"Bingo means money and money is a source of power," Smith wrote in his report. "This conflict is … about money and power."

And Smith wasn't kind to Crane in his report, saying he can "organize and quietly encourage disruption and finds way to drive away the opposition."

That's just what happened to school principal Tonya Kearley and her husband, noted musician Kelly Russell.

In a controversial move, Kearley was voted off the RBI board for "conduct unbecoming" and was the focus of an unsuccessful campaign to discredit her reputation that Smith believes was orchestrated by Crane.

Kearley declined comment for this story.

Kelly Russell's 'biggest regret'

Russell, meanwhile, was instrumental in establishing Radio Bell Island, and eventually became the paid station manager.

But he quit after a new board was elected in 2016 in what he described as a "coup" led by Crane.

He remains very vocal about what happened.

"It's the one thing I'm really proud of, and really happy that I was a major part of creating," Russell said of his role with Radio Bell Island, "and it's also the one thing that I most regret doing in my life."

It's the one thing I'm really proud of, and really happy that I was a major part of creating, and it's also the one thing that I most regret doing in my life.- Kelly Russell, former station manager, Radio Bell Island

Russell said there were times when his vehicle was tailgated in a threatening way, that someone once said an "old-fashioned lynch mob" should be organized to take care of him and his wife, and that his two daughters were "being bulled, threatened by adults."

It got so bad that Kearley and Russell decided to relocate to St. John's last fall, with Kearley now commuting to work on the ferry between Portugal Cove and Bell Island.

Dysfunction on council

There's also dysfunction on the town council, where four members, including Crane, have allied with one another against Gosine and two others.

It's standing room only during council meetings, and Crane's group has broken quorum on more than one occasion.

And there's upheaval in the town office, where a key administrative staff member has been on sick leave since a new council was elected last fall, and the dust continues to settle from a recent labour dispute that included allegations of union-busting against council.

"It's pretty sour out in the office," Gosine said.

So far, all efforts to ease tensions have failed, and now St. John's East MP Nick Whalen is preparing to get involved.

Gosine said Whalen wants to organize a meeting in April, and he hopes it will kickstart a healing process.

"We must work as a team in order to pull this community together. And we owe it to this community to do that," said Gosine.

Meanwhile, Municipal Affairs Minister Eddie Joyce said officials in the department have been working with the town and "we'll do whatever we can to make this work."

He said council members were elected by the residents of Wabana, and he will only step in if there is evidence of financial mismanagement.

"Right now we haven't reached that stage," he said.