In an emotionally charged meeting, Sarnia council has decided to once again suspend Mayor Mike Bradley's pay -- this time for two weeks.
The recommendation made by Sarnia's integrity commissioner, who found Bradley breached the Council Code of Conduct at a February meeting, was accepted by a recorded vote of 5-2.
Councillors Bev MacDougall, Matt Mitro, Anne Marie Gillis, Cindy Scholten and Brian White voted in favour of the motion, while Mike Kelch and Dave Boushy voted against it. Councillor Andy Bruziewicz abstained from the vote.
Councillor Kelch, who didn't attend that meeting, says he was "prepared to see blood on the floor" when he watched the video.
"I didn't see it," says Kelch. "I chalk that up to potentially being jaded or being exposed to far worse, but that's me. I just have to tell you how I felt. That's all."
He says sanctions don't work and he stands by his previous pledge -- not to support them against any council member.
"I just won't. Certainly not financial ones because this job doesn't pay enough frankly, to make financial sanctions worth anything," says Kelch. "If [Bradley] decides that he is not going to work with council, that is his choice to make and he doesn't manage anybody else. He has no power in this organization. Nobody reports to him. Nobody is managed by him. He has no input into anybody's performance assessment. I want the mayor to do the job that I think he should be doing, which is the head of council."
Kelch says he would like the mayor, as soon as possible, to call a special meeting of council to set up a mediation process to figure out how to move forward.
Councillor Anne Marie Gillis said Monday's meeting was difficult because it was the first without former City Engineer Andre Morin, who died suddenly on May 9, and because the integrity commissioner was visiting the city again.
"I was very hopeful at our last meeting that we had with the integrity commissioner, that I would see a window open... an epiphany if you would," says Gillis. "I recall that Councillor Bruziewics asked us to pray for the mayor and again, I must apologize, at Andre Morin's funeral -- the same message was conveyed."
Gillis says previous complaints with regard to the mayors behaviour influenced her decision.
"We can not condone that people are going to be challenged, criticized, called to account -- you name it -- when they make a decision that they are paid to do. They are going to do their job -- as professionals do," she says.
Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze found that the mayor disrespected City Clerk Dianne Gould-Brown during discussion at the February 27 city council meeting, about whether a letter from a citizen should have been included on the agenda.
Mayor Bradley has accused Swayze of having a personal bias and a conflict of interest in regards to the complaint.
Bradley’s two week suspension of salary will start with his next pay period and the money will be transferred to general funds.
The mayor was docked three months pay last summer for breaching the code of conduct. Council also imposed various sanctions after a third-party workplace investigation report, released October 7, 2016, found he bullied and harassed four senior staff members, including City Manager Margaret Misek-Evans.
-With files from Dave Dentinger
