Vaughan to pursue case against Mayor

Vaughan council started legal proceedings against Mayor Linda Jackson yesterday for apparent violations of the Municipal Elections Act after an audit suggested she broke campaign finance laws.
Council members discussed the matter for four hours and obtained legal advice yesterday before voting unanimously to hire municipal lawyer Timothy Wilkin as their independent prosecutor.
Mr. Wilkin, who has litigated similar cases in Hamilton and Ottawa, will determine what and how many charges to lay against Ms. Jackson, based on the findings of a court-ordered audit that were released last week.
It alleges a number of apparent contraventions, including overspending by her team during the hotly contested 2006 municipal campaign.
If convicted, Ms. Jackson could be fined or removed from office.
Councillor Alan Shefman called it an “extraordinary situation,” but said council was simply following the legislation.
“These are not pleasant circumstances for us,” Mr. Shefman said following yesterday’s decision.
Ms. Jackson, who eked out a victory by 94 votes over incumbent Michael Di Biase after a recount, vowed to continue doing her job despite the alleged “irregularities that ? threaten to divert the future of Vaughan.”
“Had I been aware, would I have condoned any of the practices that have come to light in the audit? Absolutely not,” Ms. Jackson said in a prepared statement she read at Vaughan’s civic centre.
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Watch Linda Jackson’s Statement:

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Her audit is not yet complete, she noted.
Two other members of council, Joyce Frustaglio and Bernie Di Vona, along with Mr. Di Biase, also face similar audits.
The independent report released last week alleged that Ms. Jackson spent $12,697 above the $120,419 legal cap and highlighted other apparent infractions, including instances of cash offerings over the $25 limit, the same benefactor donating at twice the capped amount and corporations being listed as individuals.
Auditors were unable to determine amounts on a variety of undeclared expenses, including food, drinks and prizes at fundraising, campaign and celebratory events during the election.
Councillor Tony Carella said Mr. Wilkin will consider everything in the report before devising a list of charges.
“Some issues might generate multiple charges; some of the contraventions there might not be sufficient evidence to proceed,” said Mr. Carella, who did not expect the matter to get to court before the fall.
The controversy surrounding a number of audits means that council will have to work even harder to get things done, said Mr. Shefman.
“This is not the way I wanted to work at a council,” Mr. Shefman told reporters yesterday.
“I wanted to work with a unified body, with a mayor who would be our leader and would lead the city.
“Regrettably, we’re in a situation where we as councillors are going to have to work even harder to achieve the goals we want to achieve,” he said.
Still, Mr. Shefman insisted that Vaughan has accomplished much over this term of office.
“Obviously we’re going to continue to work with the Mayor, because she is a member of council,” he said.

nalcoba@nationalpost.com