We often lament how unfortunate it is when citizens are not informed on the workings of their municipal government.
However, we can’t blame the people of Erin for tuning out – not when council meetings there regularly last four-plus hours. Quite simply, Erin council meetings are by far the longest – and yet also the least productive – of any throughout Wellington County.
Add to that the controversies the leader of the municipality can’t seem to avoid, and it understandably makes for some very bitter ratepayers.
Mayor Lou Maieron’s tenure as mayor can perhaps best be described as a circus. Just when we think it can’t get any worse – or more odd – something else happens that has us again shaking our heads in disbelief.
Of course, the most troublesome issue is his recent launch of a $75,000 lawsuit against the municipality (and seven other parties) regarding a property granted to him by the Ontario Municipal Board.
While the matter began several years before Maieron became mayor, we believe launching such a lawsuit while in office represents a clear conflict of interest. How can the mayor make financial decisions in the best interest of taxpayers while at the same time effectively suing them?
Maieron has repeatedly stated he is not seeking any funds from the town or the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) authority, which is also named in the lawsuit, but as councillor John Brennan correctly pointed out, the municipality may be on the hook for some of the damages regardless.
If Maieron wants to sue the municipality he should have stepped aside as mayor, even if just temporarily.
The lawsuit, while the most serious example, is certainly not the only instance of odd behaviour originating from Erin’s top political seat.
Some may find them entertaining, but the sad reality is that despite repeated claims of frugality, most, if not all, of these blunders have – or may – cost taxpayers thousands of dollars:
– the 2010 Brutus the swan debacle, while sold as a little-guy-fights-injustice-and-prevails story, could have been solved much sooner and without any expense to others, but Maieron did not want to pay a simple fine (he claimed the swan could leave at any time, but he showed us the cage in which he put Brutus when the bird “misbehaves”); so instead the matter was dragged out over several court appearances – costing taxpayers money – until it was eventually dismissed by an appeal court;
– Maieron has been accused of violating the codes of conduct as a member of both town council and the CVC;
– he walked out of a June town council meeting this year because he disagreed with a decision of council;
– he and former CAO Frank Miele issued a press release earlier this year trying to pass off a 15% town tax increase as a “blended” (with county and school board) tax rate increase of 4 per cent;
– he has cost county taxpayers $2,500 for a trip to China despite not seeking permission for the expenses prior to the trip, and now is seeking further reimbursement from the town for the excursion;
– he regularly holds up and prolongs council decisions with unnecessary procedural wrangling; and
– he repeatedly second-guesses staff decisions, often proposing preposterous alternatives, which no doubt has a negative effect on staff morale.
Whenever these missteps are mentioned, the mayor immediately goes on the offensive, portraying himself as the victim, deflecting the attention to others, and lashing out at the media for its “slam-etorials.”
Quite frankly, the act has grown stale – to the point the town has become the butt of jokes in other municipalities around the county.
The people of Erin deserve better.
