City councillor reaches ‘the tipping point’
By Greg Kielec As city residents exchanged gifts and en- joyed time with family over the Christmas holidays, Leslie O’Shaughnessy was con- templating his political future. “I reached the tipping point in December of last year,” the city councillor and veteran of municipal politics said in an interview with The Journal. “And during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, I gave great consideration to resigning my position on council.” His contemplation of such drastic action, less than a year after being sworn in as a city councillor, was borne out of frustration with the city’s handling of the Diane Shay whistleblower case leading up to and follow- ing the city’s guilty plea in October 2011. “The last year has been dominating my life and it’s not been fun,” he said, explaining his insistence on transparency and accountabil- ity has made him a target at the council table. “It’s frustrating. It is to a point that maybe I don’t want to be associated with the deci- sions being made. I’m just not quite sure how to deal with it,” he said. He has “some thoughts” on the way things transpired since he was first was elected back in November of 2010, “and certainly 2011 has not been the shining point in my political career,” O’Shaughnessy said in a candid, 84-minute interview at his home Sunday. “And you have to remember first of all that began with the Diane Shay incident which I was totally unaware of until I was told . . . on Jan. 17 (2011).” O’Shaughnessy became so frustrated with a lack of information being provided council members, he began walking out of closed sessions of council when votes were being taken. He complained that there were “no written reports, no written recommendations and (I was) just left in the dark to formulate ques- tions on issues that I was not prepared to ad- dress,” O’Shaughnessy said. Under such circumstances, “I have no alter- native but to walk out,” he explained. Follow @gkielec on Twitter.com for breaking news. O’Shaughnessy considered resigning over the Christmas holidays last year
By Greg Kielec Leslie O’Shaughnessy has said pub- licly what no city official has be will- ing to say to an employee vicitmized by the city after blowing the whistle on abuse at Glen Stor Dun Lodge. “Diane Shay is owed a very sincere apology from both council, administra- tion and the city of Cornwall for what she has been through over the past year,” said the city councillor in an in- terview with The Journal on Sunday. Shay, a senior manager with the city, was harassed and intimidated by ad- ministration after reporting a case of abuse which occurred at the lodge on May 25, 2008. She went on medical leave after re- ceiving two disciplinary letters from then human resources manger Robert Menagh in the span of two months in late 2008. Seven months later the city ef- fectively fired her by eliminating her position. She was reinstated in September 2009 after filing a civil suit against the city. The city and Menagh were charged Jan. 15, 2010 by the province with violating whistleblower protection for Shay. The city pleaded guilty to the charge late last year after spending $208,494 in legal expenses. The city also spent $19,024 in legal expenses pertaining to Shay’s civil suit. The charge against Menagh was dropped. O’Shaughnessy went as far as to say he felt Shay had been persecuted by the city for doing the right thing. “She has been persecuted for doing something . . . for others,” he said. “The easy thing for Diane Shay to do would’ve been to walk away.” “I don’t think people understand what persecution is like. You are talking about your health, both physical and psychological.” “Hopefuly Ms. Shay will be able to work her way through it.” City owes Diane Shay an apology: O’Shaughnessy services, including human resources, for the Owen Sound. Since his retirement in 2006 he has done a great deal of consulting work with munici- palities on HR issues on an as required basis. Fitzpatrick said Levesque will be working with the city on part-time basis. He is ex- pected to work two days weekly. A new human resources manager is expected to be hired within three months, Fitzpatrick said. The city announced Menagh’s departure on Jan. 11 after a tumultuous end to 2011. Menagh’s job was rumoured to be in jeop- ardy ever since news leaked out over a human rights tribunal decision against the city as well as a civil suit and subsequent guilty plea by the city in the Diane Shay whistleblower case late last year. The terms of his departure were not re- leased by the city.
Photo by Greg Kielec Cornwall city councillor Leslie O’Shaughnessy came close to resigning over the Christ- mas holidays in frustration over the city’s handling of the Diane Shay whistleblower case. He also, in a first from any city official, said the city owes Shay an apology. Direction needed on HR’s new direction?
By Greg Kielec The city has reached out to a former city employee to help administration transition the departure for human re- sources manager Robert Menagh two weeks ago. Dail Levesque, a former city labour rela- tions officer with extensive experience in municipal administration, began work Thursday with the city. Paul Fitzpatrick, city chief administrative officer, confirmed the hiring when ap- proached by The Journal after this morn- ing’s budget committee session at city hall. He said Levesque will bring a wealth of experience to his temporary posting. From 1991 to 1996, he served as manager of labour relations and employee relations with the city of Gloucester. Fom 1996 to 2006 he served as director of administrative he said, but he added: “I don’t know of any new direction being set.” Councillor Glen Grant was equally vague about the newly arrived upon direction. “We agreed on the recommendation from the CAO,” he said after Friday morning’s budget session. But when asked if he could describe what that new direction is, Grant replied: “I don’t know.” But he said it is up to administration to set the new direction for the city’s human re- sources department. “Direction for the departments, the CAO brings recommendations. We question and get clarication on that direction,” he ex- plained. As a caveat, he said it was important that human resources respond “to facts and not faces, because once you bring a face into it, it distorts facts and if you look at issues we have gone through, faces seem to have got- ten in the way of the facts.” greg.kielec@eap.on.ca
xxx
The new direction city hall announced it was pursuing in the wake of human re- sources manager Robert Menagh’s firing appears to be nebulous. The Journal spoke to a number of city of- ficials last week about the new direction an- nounced in a press release two weeks ago announcing Menagh’s firing. None of them appeared to be on the same page concern- ing the announcement. “Your guess is as good as mine,” said vet- eran councillor Andre Rivette when asked what is the new direction. “There is no di- rection given by council to administration.” He said a purported new direction was not mentioned in the closed session council held prior to Menagh’s termination. Councillor Leslie O’Shaughnessy also wasn’t familiar with any new direction. “I was not in the room when the vote was taken . . . in regards to (Robert) Menagh,”
City hires interim part-time HR manager
Photo by Greg Kielec Cornwall chief administrative officer Paul Fitzpatrick is pictured during a session of the city’s budget committee Friday. He confirmed the city has hired an interim human resources manager to fill-in for Robert Menagh, who was fired two weeks ago.
Made with FlippingBook Online document