The Greater Sudbury Taxpayers Association has gathered more than 8,600 signatures for its petition calling on city council to reverse its decision to fire Ontario Ombudsman André Marin.
In a release, GSTA president Dan Melanson said the goal was to raise as much awareness as possible about what councillors had done, and how they did it.
“The underhanded way that (Ward 3 Coun. Claude) Berthiaume initially brought the motion forward, and the more recent revelations that it was indeed pre-planned by him, with the consent and support of other councillors, is an insult to every citizen of this city,” Melanson said.
“In addition we now know (Ward 11 Coun. Terry) Kett was aware of Coun. Berthiaume’s plan to limit public discussion, and then lied about his knowledge of the motion and the manner in which it would be brought forward to the public.”
In a February interview with Northern Life, Berthiaume said he began planning the motion to get rid of the ombudsman after Marin made a disastrous appearance before city council in a failed attempt at repairing the relationship.
He spoke with all councillors one-on-one about the idea, with the exception of Mayor Marianne Matichuk. When he found widespread support for the idea, he planned to bring a notice of motion to the Jan. 29 city council meeting, but it was cut short by bad weather.
So he introduced the motion at the Feb. 12 meeting, and it passed by a vote of 12-1. When asked by Northern Life at the time, Kett denied that he had any knowledge of the motion beforehand. But, he said, dropping Marin was something he had been thinking about for a long time.
“I read the notice of motion, and I thought, ‘OK, that makes sense,’ ” Kett said Feb. 14. “I actually had been researching Local Authority Services myself and was impressed. And other individuals at other municipalities I’ve talked to have told me they’re quite satisfied.”
The GSTA said Kett has clearly lied to the public and called on him to resign.
“By way of your arrogant comment in response to legitimate questions regarding this issue, you have shown that you have no respect for the position that you hold or the public you represent,” the group said in a release. “Therefore, the GSTA respectfully suggests that you should do the honourable thing and immediately resign.”
Kett has not yet responded to a call from Northern Life asking him to clarify his position on what he knew about the motion to get rid of the ombudsman before the Feb. 12 meeting.
For its part, the GSTA said it will work to keep the issue on voters’ minds ahead of the 2014 election.
“We will … make sure each and every candidate, be they incumbent or challenger, will have to clearly state if they are elected (whether) they will vote to reverse the decision and bring the ombudsman back,” the release said. “And that they will do so at the very first council meeting after the 2014 election.
“The GSTA will do everything possible to ensure that, at the next election, all voters will be well informed, and to that end we will be publicizing the position of the incumbents on key issues, and their voting record throughout their term in office.”
