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Control issues erupt again between Mayor, City staff

Another battle royal has erupted between Mayor John Rowswell and City staff, this time over Rowswell's unsuccessful attempt to pull a controversial staff report from Monday night's Council agenda.
Rowswell-Irving

Another battle royal has erupted between Mayor John Rowswell and City staff, this time over Rowswell's unsuccessful attempt to pull a controversial staff report from Monday night's Council agenda.

Ward 6 Councillor Peter Vaudry and his Ward 5 counterpart Debbie Amaroso are accusing the Mayor of acting outside his power when he ordered City Clerk Donna Irving (shown) to pull the report on out-of-province travel because he felt it was "incomplete."

The report was originally requested because of concern about the Mayor's spending on his trips this past winter to Japan and Russia.

"That's what this is all about -- who runs City Hall," Rowswell charged after last night's meeting, in a scrum with Karl Sepkowski of WSUE 101 FM and MCTV's Savka Borota.

"It's the mayor and council that runs City Hall, not the CAO [Joe Fratesi] and City staff," the mayor said.

Secret E-mails

A secret exchange of E-mails obtained by John Campbell of E-Z Rock 100.5 FM shows Rowswell trying last week to arrange a closed-door meeting to alter the report before it was made public.

"It is a very good report but it is not something I would bring to council just yet," the Mayor says in an E-mail sent to Chief Administrative Officer Joe Fratesi.

"I believe that with debate of council it could take three to four hours at council. I suggest that a meeting should be booked next Tuesday or Wednesday for about 2 hours and I will go over my concerns," the mayor said.

Responds Fratesi: "It is highly unusual and inappropriate that a staff report is pulled because the Mayor and/or member of Council does not agree with what is being recommended."

"It is hoped that your stated position that you as Mayor have authority to prevent reports requested by Council from coming forward because you do not agree with the content is not a sign of things to come," Fratesi told the mayor.

'Why so rushed?' Rowswell asks

Rowswell then counters with: "We have waited for 8 months for a report. Why today is it so rushed?"

Then Councillor Vaudry weighs in with this: "I'm very surprised at this tact on your part. It sounds more like an attempt to sanitize before going to the Public at an open Council meeting. Your penchant for trying to have Control will get all of Council in trouble on an issue such as this."

To read the E-mails obtained by John Campbell, please click here.

To read the full, unedited text of the report that Rowswell tried to remove from the agenda, please click here.

To read the Mayor's written responses to Councillors Vaudry and Amaroso, including the 17 questions he wanted answered, please click here.

Vaudry, Amaroso voted down

At last night's meeting, Council voted down a motion from Vaudry and Amaroso indicating the Mayor "should not have any singular power" to direct when staff reports come before Council, or to edit them prior to presentation.

Councillors agreed, however, to discuss the issue at its meeting on October 7.

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David Helwig

About the Author: David Helwig

David Helwig's journalism career spans seven decades beginning in the 1960s. His work has been recognized with national and international awards.
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