Toronto ombudsman says she won’t seek reappointment

WATCH ABOVE: Dave Trafford explains why accountability is dominating discussion at city hall. 

TORONTO – Toronto’s Ombudsman says she will not seek re-appointment.

Fiona Crean will step down from her post when her current term ends in November. She told reporters Monday that she wanted to avoid another acrimonious debate over her reappointment.

“The debate on my reappointment next week promises to be divisive, and I feel this will hurt the office, and its efforts to ensure fairness for the city’s residents,” she said.

But the reality is, no matter the tone of the debate, Crean didn’t have the necessary votes on council to extend her tenure. She expressed concerns that the Ombudsman’s office was under funded and lacked the staffing resources to keep up with the demand.

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READ MORE: Ombudsman says complaints to the city up 22 per cent in 2014

Councillor Paula Fletcher had hoped that would have changed with John Tory taking over as mayor of Toronto. But she acknowledged “there isn’t enough support for Ms. Crean to continue. …There’s not thirty votes there.”

WATCH: John Tory talks about decision of Toronto ombudsman not to seek reappointment

She was asked whether she was bitter about the way things had unfolded.

“There is no bitterness on my part. There are many councillors who have indeed championed this office and I think that continues. There are some who don’t and you’ll have to talk to them.” said Crean.

Crean says she’s been considering this move over the past week and discussed it with the mayor last night.

In a written statement, Mayor Tory thanked Crean for her years of service, noting, “her investigations and the recommendations that she and her colleagues have submitted to Council have helped to make City Hall function in a more fair, transparent and accountable way to the benefit of our citizens and our government. I look forward to working with her during the balance of her term in office.”