‘I was sandbagged’:Rivette
By Greg Kielec A proposed funding cap for outside agencies funded by the city has been canned. The proposal by Councillor David Mur- phy to cap funding to arts and culture or- ganizations and groups which provide support services for seniors was voted down by a majority of council members. Murphy, who proposed the $500,000 cap for next year, voted for the proposal along with councillors Leslie O’Shaughnessy, Glen Grant and Andre Rivette also voting in favour. Murphy advocated supporting outside agencies, but said it cannot be at any cost. “We have to live within our means.” He argued the cap would reflect the city’s new goal of sustainability and fiscal ac- countability. He said it would essentially meet the needs of outside agencies without compromising the city’s future financial health. The cap would reduce the budget for out- side agency funding by $75,000. That, cou- pled with a number of smaller cuts could have one per cent off the city tax rate, he said. The proposal was followed by some gamesmanship by Councillor Denis Carr, who wanted Murphy to identify which agencies to cut before deciding on the fund- ing cap and then Councillor Denis Thibault who asked the original motion be deferred. They both subsequently withdrew their motions after a short debate. Councillor Thibault said he liked “the in- tent” of Murphy’s funding cap. “I don’t mind a $500,000 funding cap. I think it’s a good goal to have. But he said it is a goal likely better set in the future –“let’s not tie ourselves down yet.” But Councillor Rivette said if the city does not cap the funding “who going to pull that sign in” indicating the city has unlimited funding for outside agencies. “Where do we draw the line here? Somebody better pull the sign in.” Grant said the city must simply tell out- side agencies “this is the amount of money available”, then let the agencies find ways to reduce their costs. “Damnit, let’s make a decision,” he argued. But Councillor Syd Gardiner said “it’s pre- mature” to be discussing capping outside agency funding. He has sat through the budget process where groups have been warned the city may slash future funding. “If they didn’t get the message, they have a major problem. The message was clear.” Council nixes funding cap “I just felt it was totally unfair for someone who’s running the election, in charge of the election,” MacDonald told The Journal on Monday. Gleeson wrote after MacDonald’s initial complaint that he should contact Labelle- Gelinas. “As I'm sure you know, sections 11 and 12 of theMunicipal Elections Act gives the Clerk of the municipality the responsibility to con- duct municipal elections and to establish pro- cedures and processes that are needed for the conducting of the election. Thematter of your concern clearly falls within the responsibility of the Clerk, as outlined in these two sections. “Accordingly, I suggest that you contact the Clerk. . . to seek clarification of this matter. By way of a copy of this e-mail, I am informing Ms. Labelle-Gélinas of your concerns, so that she may properly address them.”
By Greg Kielec A Cornwall city councillor says he was bullied “big time” in a closed session of council after he was critical of city ad- ministration in a video interview he gave to a local media outlet. “They sandbagged me, that is the bottom line,” Rivette said of an “orchestrated” pri- vate lynching he received behind closed doors before last Monday’s council session. Rivette believes he “struck a nerve” when he advocated taxpayers shouldn’t be sad- dled with the estimated $1.4 million cost of settlements and legal fees the city has paid in the past year to deal with personnel is- sues. “If you are not doing anything wrong, you shouldn’t be scared to be more trans- parent . . . There’s been so many of these buyouts the residents of this community have every right to ask ‘how much?’ and ‘why?’” “It’s residents’ dollars. People spending the money should be held accountable for how it’s being spent.” The interview by the Cornwall Free News was added to the agenda by Mayor Bob Kilger at the beginning of a closed session prior to Monday’s city council meeting and then the video of the interview was played for all council members to see. Rivette said the issue should never been relegated to a closed council session be- cause it was not a personnel issue. He is so upset with his treatment that he is refusing to attend a governance session being planned for council in the spring. “That is not the way to be treating any council member if you want to have team work. I do not think that the video said anything out of place (or) divulged any- thing, it was basically routine how things operate in the city of Cornwall.” Rivette thinks council is not getting all the information it needs to make proper deci- sions “and I think that’s got to stop.: “It’s telling me somebody is trying to control the system.” Mayor Bob Kilger defended the decision to air the issue in closed session. “It wasn’t about an interview . . . it was about an iden- tifiable person,” he said this morning. He City councillor cries foul over verbal lynching in closed session
Photo byGregKielec Veteran city councillor Andre Rivette is incensed after being attacked by a majority of city councillors during a closed session last Monday, after he criticized city adminis- tration in an interview with The Cornwall Free News.
Councillor Denis Thibault would not comment on the matter because it was dis- cussed on during an in camera session. He noted that Rivette stressed during his inter- view that they were his “personal com- ments,” adding: “On that point he is right.” Councillor David Murphy said he would “beg to debate” Rivette’s argument the issue should not have been discussed be- hind closed doors because “it is a personnel because of the nature of who it involved.” “There was some clarification needed. I think that’s what happened, and I think we are moving forward.” No councillors have ever brought up that they felt bullied or intimidated during a session of council, Murphy said. But if a councillor feels he or she is being bullied, there are “proper “ steps they can take, Murphy said. As for Rivette’s accusation that he was bullied or sandbagged during the closed session, Murphy professed his innocence. “I don’t believe I was one of those who would sandbag him, at least it would never be done intentionally. As far as bullied, that’s not in my nature,” he said. Follow @gkielec on Twitter. For breaking news, go to www.editionap.ca and click on The Journal. Email greg.kielec@eap.on.ca A former city mayoral candidate is cry- ing foul after learning the city clerk was part of a Support Bob Kilger for Mayor group last election. Mark MacDonald said he was alarmed when he was sent a photo indicating clerk Denise Labelle-Gelinas’ support for Kilger. Labelle-Gelinas did not immediately return a call for comment. MacDonald complained about the clerk’s partisanship in an email to Christopher Glee- son of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. He initially complained that Labelle-Gelinas had provided three copies of voters’ lists to the Kilger campaign, contrary to election rules. He filed a further complaint after learn- ing that Labelle-Gelinas was part of a Kilger support team during the fall 2010 election. By Greg Kielec
would not say whether he thought council- lors followed proper decorum in the closed session. Councillor Leslie O’Shaughnessy flatly said “no” when asked by The Journal if he thought council had treated Rivette prop- erly. He said he eventually walked out of the session at city hall “because I just didn’t feel comfortable.” He said the mayor has no right to interfere with a councillor’s right to free speech. “What an individual council member says is entirely up to that council member. And the mayor cannot muzzle council mem- bers,” O’Shaughnessy said. “If he doesn’t agree with what they say, then that’s fine. He has no extra authority to say you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Every council member is responsible for their own conduct.” But O’Shaughnessy also defended the de- cision to air the matter in a closed session, arguing councillors are “essentially person- nel”, despite the fact they are elected mem- bers of council. “You have to remember ... our obligation is to the corporation... by virtue of the de- cisions that we make and everything, we are, (and) I would be considered personnel. We are a board of directors and we are paid by the city of Cornwall.”
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