In a tight vote, Napanee, Ont., council shot down an integrity commissioner recommendation to reprimand one of its councillors Tuesday evening.
In May, the commissioner received a complaint from an unnamed town staff member about Coun. Michael Schenk.
The senior town staffer said Schenk made disrespectful comments about him during a council meeting, including suggesting he was sleeping in the chambers and suggesting he had a toxic relationship with downtown businesses.
Although the commissioner found that Schenk’s behaviour could be seen as breaching the Municipal Act, councillors voted three to two against reprimanding Schenk.
Several of the town councillors offered their opinion on the matter, including Coun. Bill Martin, who said he saw the value of both of the parties involved in the complaint.
“One is a staff member who has been a long-serving, hard-working member of the community for many many years, and Coun. Schenk has been a long-serving councillor in his ward, Ward 1, he’s always had his constituents at heart, and I think the situation might have gotten a little carried away,” Martin said.
Despite the integrity commissioner defending her position that Schenk’s “continuous series of comments” led her to her recommendation to reprimand, several councillors seemed to take issue with the complainant taking the matter past simply “shaking hands.”
“I don’t know what this is costing the taxpayer, and the senior manager should know that, we’re wasting taxpayers’ money, so my respect for that senior manager is gone, to be blunt,” Coun. Bob Norrie said.
Coun. Angela Hicks stopped short of making a comment about the complainant, but when it was suggested that he was looking at his phone rather than sleeping in the meeting, she recommended he and all others at council not use their phone out of “simple common courtesy.”
Mayor Terry Richardson also had strong words, but did not vote on the matter.
“This is an extremely, extremely unfortunate circumstance. Not only does it hurt our employees, it hurts our members of councils and it hurts our community. It puts a black eye on our community,” he said.
“We cannot continue to go down the path that we’re going down.”
This is Greater Napanee’s third integrity commissioner report in under two years. The town has also recently ordered an independent review of the use of its purchasing bylaw due to complaints, and the land dealings of a previous mayor Gordon Schermerhorn were also investigated, but he was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
Councillors Hicks, Norrie and Brian Calver all voted to dismiss the recommendation to reprimand, while councillors Dave Pinnell and Martin voted in favour of the reprimand.
Global News reached out to Schenk Wednesday following the meeting; he said he didn’t have much to say on the matter.
“I represent the taxpayer, and I do that to the best of my ability,” he said.
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