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Day placed on paid leave

Humboldt councillor issues apology after accusations against city manager

Jul 15, 2026 | 9:50 AM

A Humboldt city councillor appears to have backtracked as it relates to a situation with the city manager, Joe Day. 

Sarah McInnis had withdrawn her support for Day following an allegation that Day yelled at school staff after a school bus was stopped to let off children in a school zone. 

Day was placed on paid leave in June, pending further deliberations. 

A post on McInnis’ social media page indicated that she may have jumped the gun. 

“As a member of Humboldt’s city council, I recognize that I have an obligation to discharge my duties in accordance with the City’s Code of Ethics, and that matters relating to city personnel are subject to confidentiality under that code,” the post read. 

“In my recent comments discussing a confidential personnel issue, I did not meet those obligations.” 

McInnis posted that when she made the statement, she was responding to the information available to her at the time.  

“I recognize that I made my comments before I had spoken to all sources regarding the incident, and before I had verified the factual basis of the allegations.” 

In the post, McInnis stated that she regretted any harm that her statement may have caused those impacted, including the city manager, the school community, and her colleagues on council. 

“That was not my intention,” McInnis said. “Going forward, I will ensure that concerns relating to confidential personnel matters are raised only through the appropriate council processes.” 

McInnis said she remains committed to carrying out her responsibilities on council with professionalism, respect, and integrity, and to serve the community “according to the highest ethical standards.” 

The City of Humboldt had not provided any statement as of the time of publishing. 

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com