Our council has the right to establish a clear and transparent process regarding integrity and the system for filing complaints that balances the public interest and their own perspectives. However, council should be mindful that opening this can of worms at all can lead to public perceptions that they are attempting to insulate themselves from public scrutiny.
While that may not necessarily be the case, when the public perceives council this way, it can have an impact on the relationship between the public and the city as a whole.
When we elect our mayor and councillor each term, we do so under the assumption that those we vote for will act in good faith with humility, respect and dignity. Likewise, those we elect deserve to be treated by the public with the same level of civility.
Unfortunately, both councillors and the public in any municipality sometimes make errors of judgment, and municipalities are required under the Municipal Act to appoint an integrity commissioner.
However, our council has recently decided to part ways with our current integrity commissioner, Mr. David Boghosian, after a series of complaints were brought against several councillors over the past year.
Mr. Boghosian was appointed integrity commissioner in 2023, after the prior integrity commissioner declined to submit a bid to extend his contract with the city.
Given this, one must wonder if council needs to consider taking a different approach to dealing with public scrutiny than they currently do, and whether or not they truly believe a third integrity commissioner in as many years will actually produce different results without councillors taking on a greater sense of humility when they ultimately deliver reports.
For example, young people are frequently told that their private social media posts and interactions could come back to haunt them in their future careers, as they could be viewed in a negative light by potential employers.
However, when numerous crass posts by Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc on his personal, but public Facebook page were reported on by Mr. Boghosian, Coun. Leduc reacted with relative hostility. As Mr. Boghosian noted, “Councillors must realize that their public posts are matters of public interest and govern themselves accordingly.”
Even fellow councillor Mark Signoretti stated, “If we don’t want to be in front of the firing squad, then try to do your best not to put your name forward on certain social media platforms.”
Matthew Gill
Hanmer