Ferguson said the trial has been “difficult,” and effected his job as as St Stephen's chief administrative officer. He said the town gave him 6 weeks paid leave to attend the trial, but as it drew on it came out of his vacation time. He says with 3 young children, one of whom has Down's Syndrome, the trial has presented challenges to his family life. Later on Ferguson appealed to the jury saying he was just as overwhelmed by data as they while he was on council.
Later on, Ferguson called the information former Finance Commissioner Andrew Beckett's provided to councillors on the pension plan a basic overview that didn't much help his understanding. He said Beckett's presentation glossed over the problems, and he felt they needed more information from qualified professionals to back up their actions. He felt uncomfortable simply following recommendations from staff and waiting because he felt councillors weren't adequately protected in case things went wrong.
