Sarnia's mayor has apologized again for what he admits was inappropriate behaviour but he stops short of accepting all the sanctions being imposed on him by city council.
Mike Bradley broke several days of silence with an appearance on CHOK's The Talk Show with Sue Storr Thursday morning.
He says there's been no other mayor in the country, charged criminally or in any other way, who's been treated as severely as he's been.
Bradley questions city council's majority position that it must take action to mitigate damage claims against the corporation.
"That's why there are people [who are] much better educated, and lawyers that are looking at this and the initial report says they dispute that," he says. "If you look at how this has unfolded, where these sanctions came from, it appears, and you think about this, that I or any city employee can't talk. That's a Charter of Rights issue if you look at that."
The mayor sees no need to spend tax dollars to temporarily move the mayor's office to the transit building while alterations are made to relocate him to a more appropriate location within city hall.
"Many people in this community have been in the mayor's office. The mayor's office has been in that building since the day it opened and is designed specifically in a certain way," he says. "It's probably the most isolated office in the building. It's a long corridor and it's in the corner on the second floor. My interaction with staff is very limited."
Bradley is all for sensitivity and harassment training for the mayor and council, and feels third party mediation is needed to rebuild relationships so the city can move forward.
The mayor says it's been a rough year as he battles personal health issues, but he will continue to do his job.
Sanctions imposed on the mayor are in response to a workplace investigation report that found he bullied and harassed four senior staff members, including the city manager.
A previous report from the Integrity Commissioner found Bradley had breached council's code of conduct and he was docked the maximum three months pay.
