Engaged Port Moody residents know the sad saga well: in March 2019, Mayor Vagramov was charged with sexual assault stemming from a 2015 incident. Vagramov was never exonerated of his sexual assault charge. His trial was adjourned in September 2019 with an announcement that he would be completing a course of “alternative measures”, the contents of which were withheld from the public.
Letting the Mayor off the hook by making “alternative measures” available to him raised concerns from women’s organizations and the public; they pointed-out that the process is normally reserved for less serious offences than sexual assault, and that the victim may have agreed to the measures to avoid the political pressure of trial testimony against the Mayor – the highest-ranking public official in Port Moody.
In October 2019, Council voted 4-3 (split along gender lines) to ask Vagramov to take a leave of absence until his legal issues are resolved. That public hearing and a September Council meeting (following the trial’s adjournment) gave the residents of Port Moody the opportunity to evaluate the thought processes, priorities, and ethical perspectives of the council members who spoke at the meetings.
Hunter Madsen and Steve Milani both spoke in their capacities as council members, while David Stuart spoke as a member of the public. Today, they’re campaigning as a slate – and they presented a unified front in vigorous defense of Vagramov.
Watch for yourself below:
David Stuart
When Vagramov returned to Council after his trial got paused, his old campaign aide David Stuart could hardly contain his delight. In a cheery short speech to council, Stuart had nothing to say about the sex assault charges but found it in himself to complain that there’s “something fundamentally wrong in the discourse”, before welcoming the Mayor back and saying “there are many more important issues in Port Moody.”
Steve Milani
During Council debate in October 2019, Milani delivered a bizarre speech where he struggled to maintain composure while praising Vagramov’s “gentle soul” and how nice his family members seemed:
Hunter Madsen
Dr. Madsen’s principal contribution to the October council debate was a 4-minute tirade attacking Port Moody residents for the public outcry surrounding the Mayor’s sex assault charges. It’s worth watching in full as a lesson in the public persuasion techniques that Hunter mastered in his previous careers – appeals to emotion, vilification of opponents, and a characterization of his side (Vagramov) as the victim deserving of sympathy.
Port Moody Fact Check 