Printed Dec 16, 2024 • 3 minute learn
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Coun. Susan Stevenson speaks throughout a metropolis corridor debate in London on Tuesday, Might 7, 2024. (Mike Hensen/The )
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London’s mayor and deputy mayor are essential of a colleague’s “bullying” of a senior metropolis staffer, however disagree on a watchdog’s suggestion to dock her pay – which might be a primary in latest reminiscence.
Metropolis council will think about Tuesday a report from town’s integrity commissioner that discovered Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson violated council’s code of conduct with a social media submit on homelessness that “unnecessarily” recognized Kevin Dickins, London’s deputy social and well being improvement supervisor.
The report discovered “the councillor’s conduct constitutes harassment, bullying and targeting” and really helpful a 30-day pay suspension.
The investigation stemmed from a Might 30 criticism from Dickins, based mostly on Stevenson’s resharing of a CTV London article in April the place she shared an altered quote of his. The submit to X might nonetheless be discovered Monday on Stevenson’s profile.
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“The Encampment Strategy is a LONG-TERM vision for our community on how we address encampments”defined Dickins
“[Encampments] are here to stay🥺
They are the fabric of every municipality now😩
What is our strategy to SUPPORT them & address them?”😳 https://t.co/fjYwwcR7Tt
— Susan Stevenson (@StevensonLDN) April 19, 2024
The report says Dickins wrote Stevenson asking her to take away his identify from the submit, saying it was inappropriate to establish him personally and he would file a criticism if the submit wasn’t taken down. She countered it was a direct quote, and she or he didn’t perceive what the criticism could be.
The integrity commissioner discovered Stevenson editorialized Dickins’ quote, including “provocative emojis,” and appeared “to suggest that this individual was responsible for the continuing problem of encampments in the city,” leaving him weak to assaults from the general public.
Mayor Josh Morgan mentioned Monday he accepted the report and its findings. He additionally mentioned he has all the time voted for suggestions introduced ahead by the integrity commissioner.
“First, I was not part of the investigation, nor do I have all the information, and second, often integrity commissioners are working across the province in multiple different municipalities and have a much wider perspective of what works and what doesn’t, and ultimately, can lead to a higher-functioning council by taking the actions they recommend,” Morgan mentioned.
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He mentioned that there are particular “written and unwritten” guidelines for politicians and metropolis workers and the way they work together to take care of decorum to be able to work collectively. Morgan mentioned council is metropolis workers’s employer, and due to this fact liable for having a secure and respectful office.
“The path of least resistance” might have been taken, eradicating or rewording the submit as Dickins requested, Morgan mentioned, and doing so doesn’t have an effect on Stevenson’s capability to voice her opinion.
In an announcement to The Free Press on Friday, Stevenson accused the commissioner of coming after her pay “because the questions I have been asking are too much.
“I won’t stop doing my job as councillor. The residents are suffering and as their representative, I will be their voice,” she mentioned. “Everything I have ever said is respectful and reasonable.”
The watchdog’s findings single out Stevenson’s behaviour on the horseshoe throughout a number of committee conferences, the place there’s a “clear pattern in which the councillor takes the opportunity, even where an issue only relates tangentially to homelessness or shelters, to ask questions in a manner which allows her to repeat her concerns around the encampments issue.”
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The integrity commissioner added that whereas Stevenson might have questioned staffers privately, “the purpose of doing so during the meeting is to, once again, make known her disapproval of the city’s responses to encampments.”
Repeated questions, implied withholding of data and mistrust of workers is interpreted as harassment, the report mentioned, concluding it’s Stevenson’s “pattern of conduct” together with the social media submit, that led to their suggestion.
Whereas he agrees Stevenson’s therapy of workers warrants punishment, deputy mayor Shawn Lewis mentioned he’s conflicted on what that penalty ought to be. He mentioned a second reprimand isn’t sufficient, however docking her pay is an excessive amount of.
“This one’s a tough one for me, because I don’t think the punishment fits the crime,” he mentioned “At the same time, I don’t think the councillor’s conduct was fantastic . . . and I say that as someone who has cut off some of her comments in the chair’s role.”
Lewis mentioned there are limits to what a chair can do to police a gathering, however all of council ought to bear in mind they’re debating one another, not metropolis workers, who’re solely there to offer info.
“Council and committee meetings are not question period,” he mentioned. “I think that political theatre at the higher levels of government doesn’t serve anyone well . . . it speaks to a bit of the divided, very partisan political climate that we’re in today.”
Council will determine on Stevenson’s punishment, if any, once they meet Tuesday.
@JackAtLFPress
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