Stories from the code (III)

In the weeks that followed this piece of local government theatre, the county's integrity commissioner received two formal complaints alleging that the mayor had breached the code of conduct, the procedural by-law, the Council-Staff Relations Policy, and the Respectful Workplace and Violence Pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Municipal World 2021-08, Vol.131 (8), p.21-44
Main Author: O'Connor, M Rick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apologies
Attorneys general
Conflicts of interest
Councils
Legislation
Liability
Local elections
Municipal government
Municipalities
Sanctions
Social networks
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Summary:In the weeks that followed this piece of local government theatre, the county's integrity commissioner received two formal complaints alleging that the mayor had breached the code of conduct, the procedural by-law, the Council-Staff Relations Policy, and the Respectful Workplace and Violence Prevention Policy for her allegedly disrespectful words and deeds in this matter. Integrity Commissioner's First Report In a report dated April 9, 2019, the integrity commissioner found that "in our view, the mayor's actions at the meeting, when taken in context - including her statement that it is going to be a long four years if staff does not accede to the wishes of council (issued twice) and her deliberate tearing of the report ... while speaking to the matter - are in breach" of the code of conduct, the procedural by-law, and the CouncilStaff Relations Policy. When this second report was considered by county council on June 11, 2019, the following actions occurred: * the mayor declared a conflict of interest on this item and recused herself; * the integrity commissioner's report was "received as information"; * council accepted the mayor's "public apology"; and * council moved that "no further action be taken." The council's rules of procedure were waived and the following, rather remarkable, motion was then "carried": THAT staff be directed to present an amending by-law to remove the delegation of final decision-making authority from the integrity commissioner; AND THAT the amending by-law ensure that all complainants are identified to the accused.
ISSN:0027-3589