Harassment dispute heats up between Projet Montreal, CDN-NDG borough mayor

The battle is heating up between Projet Montréal and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (CDN-NDG) borough mayor Sue Montgomery.

Tension has been mounting ever since Montgomery was removed from the Projet Montreal caucus on Jan. 24. following a harassment investigation into her chief of staff by the city’s comptroller general.

The report found Montgomery’s chief of staff guilty of harassment against two borough employees and recommended she fire the employee in question, but she refused.

On Monday, Montgomery was served with a cease and desist letter by the city of Montreal in connection with the report.

The lawyer’s letter is asking the borough mayor to refrain from making public statements which call into question the borough’s administration.

Specifically, the letter refers to comments Montgomery made in various interviews mentioning a long history of corruption and collusion within the borough and a general lack of transparency.

The letter goes on to cite Montgomery as saying she was troubled by the fact the bureaucrats have been working for the borough for several years.

At a borough council meeting Monday evening, the ongoing strife between the party and Montgomery became more personal, with Montgomery taking aim at Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.

In response to a question by a resident, Montgomery alleges the mayor asked her to fire her chief of staff despite not having seen the comptroller’s report.

Montgomery also alleges that Mayor Plante told her she did not believe the report either.

But in a statement to Global News, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, leader of Projet Montréal , denied the accusations.

“At the CDN-NDG borough council meeting yesterday, Sue Montgomery attributed to me completely false and inaccurate statements that were never made,” Plante said.

“Her comments are defamatory and go beyond the bounds of reality.”

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Plante is asking that Montgomery retract the comments immediately.

2:13 Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and NDG Borough Mayor Sue Montgomery involved in a war of words

Plante also defended her actions, saying the report is confidential and releasing it is not her responsibility. She accuses Montgomery of paralyzing the borough’s activities.

“Instead of going on a personal crusade against me, against her former political party, against the Comptroller General, against the city’s team of labour relations experts and against all borough employees, I invite Ms. Montgomery to do the job she was elected to do,” the statement read.

Montgomery, however, isn’t backing down.

“I feel like it’s another attempt to shut me up,” she said of the city’s cease and desist letter, calling it an attempt at intimidation.

“They’re telling me I shouldn’t talk about the history of the borough and the corruption here, but it’s on the public record,” Montgomery said, referring to former mayor Micheal Applebaum who pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

Montgomery maintained she’s just trying to do her job and be accountable to the residents of her borough.

“I am the mayor of a borough that has a history of corruption and I was elected on a platform of transparency and of no corruption.” she said.

As for the comments Montgomery made pertaining to Mayor Plante, there’s no question of a retraction.

Montgomery maintained her side of the story and is urging the mayor to release the comptroller’s report, saying she refuses to fire someone without seeing the evidence of their wrongdoing.

“She has the power as the mayor of Montreal, she’s like the CEO of the city. If she wants to see that report, she can,” Montgomery said.

“My story has been consistent since Day 1, this is an attempt to shut up a whistleblower.”

— With files from Global’s Gloria Henriquez