George Mathewson
Sarnia council took the unprecedented step of forcing Mayor Mike Bradley out of City Hall Monday night, temporarily at least.
The move was one in a series of motions passed by councillors to protect city staff from Bradley in the wake of two separate investigations that found he bullied and harassed senior managers.
They also revoked the mayor’s ability to attend senior management meetings, amended the city’s Code of Conduct to prohibit “negative comments” against staff and councillors, and directed Bradley to take sensitivity and anger management training.
The meeting was attended by a raucous and largely pro-Bradley crowd. Spectators heckled council, held up re-election signs, and one was escourted out by city police.
In a 7-1 vote, council ordered the mayor’s office moved to the Sarnia Transit office on Michener Road until a new one can be created at City Hall.
The city has a legal duty to provide a safe environment for its staff in the wake of a workplace investigation report that found Bradley harassed and bullied four female managers, said city solicitor Scott McEachran.
If councillors didn’t take steps to protect workers they could each be held personally liable and fined up to $25,000 and jailed for a year, he said.
Bradley wasn’t present. Below is a synopsis of what they said.
COUN. DAVE BOUSHY:
The lone opponent to many of the motions said Bradley has apologized for his “sins.”
“He can be criticized for his leadership style, but not for his honesty and his integrity and his love for the community. He does not deserve for us to say, ‘Move out of that office.’ He’s a good man. He has pride. He is sincere to the extreme.
“Even the Integrity Commission wrote on page 10 of his report: “He has been the Mayor for 28 years and I have found no hint in my investigation, that he has ever taken any private advantage out of his position …
“How are we harassing the mayor? Not to allow him to say goodbye or talk to staff as they are leaving. Isn’t that harassment? Three months of not pay, cut his pay, without city income and creating financial hardship. Isn’t that harassment? And appointing someone (Coun. Gillis) to mediate between him and others, someone who has been critical of him. Isn’t that harassment?
COUN. ANDY BRUZIEWICZ
Successfully proposed the mayor’s office be relocated to the Sarnia Transit building temporarily until a new office can be arranged at city hall, separated from staff.
“It’s quite obvious to everybody, we’re not here to provide access by the public to the mayor. We have to address the problem. And what I would propose we do, that we find when the work is being done, we find another space outside of city hall that will accommodate the mayor to meet his needs, and the public needs to approach the elected official.”
COUN. ANNE MARIE GILLIS:
“Abusers portray themselves as victims, and victims are abused over and over and over again. We have seen this culture of fear; we have seen this abuse within these walls …
“There is no question that the mayor has been found guilty of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. We are the board of directors of this corporation; we have to act …
“It can be difficult to accept, (someone) who is as well liked as publicly as the mayor, but he has engaged in egregious bullying and harassment of those around him and there is overwhelming evidence to demonstrate that Mayor Bradley has done exactly that.
COUN. MIKE KELCH:
Appealed directly to Bradley’s supporters to urge him to accept investigations’ findings.
“I’ve known Mike for 20 years and I learned a lot from Mike. In fact, everything I know about being an effective politician I learned from him over the years …
“The suggestions that have come to council have come from attorneys who are advising the city, and the council is acting to protect you. Trust me on this …
“I tried to work with Mike before that Integrity Commission investigation, to try and make that go as smoothly as possible for him, because I am committed to the guy and have been forever …
“If you folks can talk to him, and ask him to do this for me, because I’ve tried and it’s not working, to simply take this report and … accept it. Accept the responsibility, and then let us move forward …
“What he’s doing is making, forcing, council to take measures that it does not want to take."
COUN. BEV MACDOUGALL
Successfully proposed relocating Bradley’s permanent office to another place in the building further removed from staff interaction. She said she wants to believe mayor can change, but it’s up to him to prove it.
“I want this mayor and any future mayor to have access to the electorate, and for the electorate to have access to their mayor. This proposed action is in the interest of restoring a safe and healthy workplace where productive separation holds a great capacity for healing.”
COUN. MATT MITRO:
Said Bradley’s abuse of authority hasn’t stopped.
“One among us was responsible for harassing and bullying the people in this building…
“I would add that currently, right within days, the actual actions that occasioned this are continuing. I have no desire, nor will I let that stand. That is not OK. If you have apologized, you should stop doing what you’re doing. That has not happened …
He’s done lots of good things, however, everything he has done, all that good work through 28 years, does not change what we read, does not change what we have to do. These, basically, are contraventions of the law that we are forced to act on …"
COUN. CINDY SCHOLTEN:
“Workplace harassment is generally repetitive and it is abusive. Not the kind of abuse you see with bruises and black eyes, but it is abusive and it affects the person’s dignity and psychological integrity …
“We know that it is abuse, we know that is ongoing, we know that it is causing a very poisoned work environment at City Hall, and we know that we are bound to ensure that the abuser is not around the staff so that we can provide a safe and healthy work environment …
“The whole country is watching how we handle this investigation, which found our leader guilty of workplace harassment. This means that we today, this council, needs to send a message that we are now ending the culture of abuse and bullying inside of City Hall.”
COUN. BRIAN WHITE:
“I voted for this man. I worked with him on committees prior to my election, and there was nothing more I wanted than to work with the leader that I came to know.”
“At the age of 12 my mom came into my room bawling her eyes out because the man we were living with at the time – never once laid a hand on her – but the psychological and emotional damage that he was doing to her and our family, she looked me in the eye and said, ‘I would rather go back to your dad and take the fists, because at least people would understand the pain I am going through, and at least those physical scars would heal.’
“There is a serious problem right now with people’s lack of compassion for four victims of psychological and emotional abuse.”
“Sometimes people have flaws, and sometimes those flaws get the better of them, and it doesn’t matter what your record is in office …”
