November 16, 2016 · 0 Comments
OVER THE OBJECTIONS of two mayors, Dufferin County Council has approved the appointment of an Integrity Commissioner to carry out a Code of Conduct for the council members approved some time ago.
In opposing the motion, Amaranth Mayor Don MacIver and Orangeville Mayor Jeremy Williams said they felt use of a commissioner could be easily abused and used for partisan purposes. Mayor MacIver was also against a non-elected official being an overseer of elected councillors.
We think adoption of the motion was really a no-brainer. After all, what point is there in a council having a code of conduct with no means of enforcing it?
While we agree with the two mayors that partisanship could lie behind a complaint, the appointee should be able to deal with that appropriately. And only time will tell what consequences, if any, will follow the appointment.